Search for a Soul
by MEGAMANX411
Summary: [COMPLETE, REVISED] Mega Man X deals with his inner demons, and battles with his own disgust of himself. Rated T.
1. Utopia is just a dream

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 1  
"_Utopia is just a dream_"  
By MEGAMANX411

Disclaimer: This fan fiction chronicles Mega Man X, and others characters within the Mega Man X universe. Please note that I do not have ownership over any one of the Mega Man series, or any of the characters included within them. This particular fan fiction does not fit at any particular time during the Mega Man X series, although it does come into play around Mega Man X5, technically speaking, because Alia will have a part of it. So, without further ado, I present to you "Search for a Soul."

* * *

Mega Man X was running. He was running towards Maverick Hunter HQ. He needed to report back there often, seeing as he was one of the most renowned Maverick Hunters around. Although it seemed ludicrous, he found some form of relief when he ran. It brought him a feeling of purpose. He was going somewhere, he had a destination. Even though he could easily use his teleporation ability, he was a bit more fond of this method. That was something he did almost ritualistically after each mission he completed. It was sort of symbolic of his desire for a purpose in life. Mega Man X had often wondered just why he was created, and especially why he was given weapons. Weapons...something that he detested. Why was it he was built as a machine for war? X hated that thought. He was no better than any bomb. What were Dr. Light's intentions for him? Even though X was created with the ability to make his own decisions, he had made the obvious assumption of thinking that Dr. Light must've had some reason for creating a being such as X. Was it merely a feat to show off his abilities as a master engineer of robotics? Was X merely some sort of science fair prize? 

Such were the questions that ran through his mind. He felt as though whenever he came somewhat close to answering but one of those mind-numbing queries, a hundred more popped up. It was endless, like his struggle against the Mavericks. Mega Man X then came to a stop as he arrived at HQ. He sighed, and walked in. Signas was waiting for him there. X held nothing against Signas. He couldn't, after all. Signas supported X, and to be fair, he was doing a fantastic job of operating Maverick Hunter HQ. It was just that whenever X was assigned a mission, he felt awful instead of noble. Wasn't fighting for a noble cause supposed to give one a sense of exhiliration?

"Hello X," he began, giving X a respectful nod.

X returned the sentiment.

"Hello Signas," he replied, his voice filled with many feelings, including kindess, mild sadness, and masked enthusiasm.

"We currently have no assignments at this point in time, but we recommend that you remain nearby in case of emergencies," Signas explained.

X nodded his head. His eyes were a bit glassy, and almost seemed to hold back tears. The funny thing was that X had no idea why he felt so depressed. He couldn't place it, it was just like an immense wave of feeling that was being held back.

"As always..." he muttered. "I'll be ready and waiting."

With that, X walked off, trying to find some way to pass the time, and to get his mind off of the questions that plagued him. He came to a window, and stopped. For some reason he couldn't hope to explain, he was drawn to the image he saw just outside. It was a field, full of green grass, and both humans and reploids apparently sharing their time together happily. X shook his head, to discover that his was merely a daydream of his, and the image outside projected nothing of the sort. Still, he longed for such a sight to become reality.

"Is utopia really just a dream...?" he muttered, his eyes drifting away.

X lazily looked off into space, his mind racing with thought. He desired tranquility above all else, and simply wished that he could help create a society without war, without killing, without...well, the bad things. It was incredibly naive to say something of that sort, but in all fairness, that was exactly what X wanted. No more suffering, no more pain. A world where everyone could live together happily. Such was his dream. One thing that X wondered about was becoming a Maverick Hunter. Although it was technically his choice, he had really considered himself to be forced into that position. After all, if he hadn't, Sigma would've destroyed everything. Without a doubt. And if X hadn't fought, if he hadn't used his powers, he would've been deemed an incompetent, uncaring, foolish coward who cares more for himself than others. And choosing to fight makes him a murderous, bloodthirsty monster.

Both choices were negative, and it was a decision X would always regret. If Dr. Light had indeed intended for him to live peacefully, why did he give X the ability to fight? Why did he bestow weapons of war upon X? Or, on the other hand, if he wanted X to be a defender of justice, why did he give him free will? Surely if one had destiny, there was no need for the ability of choice. If you are born into a predetermined existence, then what impact does the ability to choose have? X had often wondered if his so-called "innovation" was more of a curse than a blessing. After all, his emotions had brought him more misery than happiness and more crying than laughter. X looked down at his hands, and was shocked at what he saw.

His hands were coated in blood. The stench of it assaulted his nose. Rock Xavier Light teared from the horrific sight, watching as his hands shook with fear. He quickly closed his eyes and shook his head to remove the image from his sight. It was just another daydream. Of course, dreams (or even daydreams, X assumed) were considered to be symbolic in nautre. Perhaps this was merely a reflection of X's own guilt. A reflection of his own bloodstained past. X sighed deeply, and turned his head to see an incoming figure.


	2. Buried emotions

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 2  
"_Buried emotions_"  
By MEGAMANX411

X turned his head to see Alia walking down the hallway towards him. Everything seemed to slow down in that instant, just as Alia walked by. She seemed almost oblivious to all the pain that was in the world, because she had a smile on her face. She was easily able to accept the fact that it was a good day, and somehow managed to block out all the negative information that seemed to take some form of enjoyment in tormenting X. Alia was quite beautiful, and X believed that as well. Not to say that he openly discussed her attraction, it's just that he could admit that she looked nice. Zero had obviously coaxed him before, and X had said that he thought Alia looked well...beautiful. He would never stoop to committing something lecherous though. It just wasn't in him. Still though, X felt something about Alia. Her presence was somewhat calming, at least.

Alia turned to see X, and waved at him. Such a simple gesture would be deemed normal in almost every social situation, but for a reason he simply couldn't fathom, X was almost too stunned to react. X tried to voice his response, he tried to say hello back to Alia, to show that he was there. But by the time he managed to force out his greeting, Alia had already walked past him, and was making her way down towards the end of the hall. He had completely missed his chance. Somewhere in his mind, something clicked, almost as if his mind was feebly reprimanding him for not taking initiative. Saying "hi" back would've been a nice gesture, and it would seem rude not to respond.

"H-hi..." X muttered, waving back futilely.

X then looked down to the ground in apparent sadness. He sighed lightly as he looked back, and tried forcing a smile to his face. After all, nothing bad happened today, and the weather was nice, so why wouldn't this qualify as a good day? X should be able to smile. But such a feeling seemed very hard to come by for him. He really envied Zero and Alia. Zero could remain a prankster, and could really let out his smile. Alia could also enjoy a good day. X, on the other hand, had a sad demeanor plastered on his face almost all the time. Not only was he rather dense when it came to any issue of women or romance, he was an incredible idealist to boot. Not to mention the fact how naive some people perceived him to be.

X walked through Maverick Hunter HQ, trying to occupy himself, yet at the same time remain ever vigilant in case a mission is presented to him. Suddenly though, he got the strange urge to revisit some information from the past. He had gone through quite a few missions already, and it was becoming harder and harder for him to get more done. He wondered how he was able to handle his first mission so easily. He was almost excited. It was a noble cause, after all. He came upon the Maverick records database, and decided to take a look through it.

"Storm Eagle..." he muttered, reading one of the files.

He remembered fighting Storm Eagle. That was one of the first Mavericks that X had fought. And at that time, he assumed it would've ended after he defeated Sigma. X grabbed another file. This one was on the X-Hunters: Agile, Serges, and Violen. X remembered fighting them as well. They were assassins who were given the order of destroying X, and they used Zero's parts as leverage. X's eyes winced when he saw the word "RETIRED" in big red letters across the document. X had always questioned the use of that word within Maverick Hunter HQ. They used "retired" to say that they defeated an enemy Maverick. It was merely a better way of saying killed or murdered. After all, that's what X had done. Even though defeating an enemy in the line of duty could be considered noble to some, X certainly didn't think so. Who could possibly justify taking the life of another? No one is ever born with such a right. X sighed and put the files back into their appropriate places.

"Is someone in here?" a familiar voice asked.

"It's me, X," Mega Man X replied, his voice rather meek as usual.

"Oh, it's just you, I thought it was someone else," the figure replied.

X took a moment to recognize the figure, but he saw that it was Alia. Her blonde hair bounced with each step she took. She didn't have her navigating gear on, so X was able to get a better look at her. She really was quite pretty. X never really took the time to actually get a good look at her. Instantly, he could feel his face become warm. It was like a sudden rush of heat had flooded into him, and he really didn't want Alia to see it. He decided that looking at her might be considered offensive, so he tried to stop.

"Oh...h-hi..." X muttered, averting his eyes.

Alia smiled politely. She was a very polite person by nature. She had rarely ever raised her voice, and really remained to be a good example for everyone. Maybe that was part of the reason X envied her. She seemed just perfect. Her job training did include a regiment on combat measures and field training, but she didn't undertake the same missions X did. He may have been a little jealous that she didn't have to fight, but that wasn't it. He just wished he could experience the smile that she always wore.

"Hello X," she replied. "Is there some business you have with the database?" she asked.

X shook his head.

"N-no...I just thought it may be interesting to read," he replied, looking to the ground.

"You seem awfully tense," Alia noted, looking a bit worried. "Maybe you should rest for a bit."

X shook his head once again. His responses were rather weak and timid, like that of a child. Truthfully, X was still so innocent that he might have been confused for a child in some respects. He was completely oblivious to the machinations of love, among other emotions. He wouldn't even begin to understand the feeling if he had it in the first place, that is. Alia was just a very kind person, and X knew that there was no possible way anyone could ever like him beyond the level of politeness...there was just no way, or at least, that's what he assumed to be the truth.

"I'm fine, it's nothing," he replied, obviously referring to his physical well being when he said nothing was wrong.

"Well, just don't push yourself. You may be a top Maverick Hunter, but you need to be in prime condition for work," Alia explained, reminding X of his duties.

Alia smiled politely, and kept a warm expression on her face. She really did look nice, and she was a very cheerful person around Maverick Hunter HQ. Her presence was quite a change from everyone else's. However, X soon realized that he hadn't responded to Alia's comment. So, X quickly nodded, and began to walk out of the room. Just then, the alarm went off. The signal for X to embark on yet another mission. He reported back to Signas immediately. Signas was standing erect, appearing before him as a true symbol of authority. He definitely had a sort of commanding feel about him, but X just thought that it was always his nature.

"X, good to see you're here. Zero, you as well," he added, nodding to the famous Maverick Hunter.

Signas' voice was firm like iron. He never was one to joke around, and he hardly ever took matters lightly. He was a brilliant tactician, and that was largely the reason why he had went through the ranks so quickly. X and Zero listened to him closely.

"What's the deal, Signas?" Zero asked.

Zero somehow always managed to remain calm during missions. X had always wondered how exactly his partner could remain so level-headed. Zero had always taken on any mission with the greatest of ease. X didn't agree with some of Zero's methods, but they still remained to be best friends.

"Straight to the point, I see," Signas replied.

A screen was brought up behind him. Maverick Hunter HQ had nearly instantaneous access to any sort of information, largely due to its amazing communication network. Alia was partly responsible for that, seeing as she was the top navigator of the organization. Not all of the missions they embarked where that big though, so there were times when X and Zero got called in for rather mundane events.

"It's a rather small scale assault compared to any of the previous missions you have faced. I don't think this Maverick has any ties to Sigma. He's just violent," Signas explained, pointing the screen.

X nodded slowly. He really didn't want to undertake this mission. But he really couldn't feel comfortable about protesting it. After all, what would Signas think if X said that he refused to take a mission? What kind of Maverick Hunter refuses to help the public? It would make him look awful.

"Yes sir, I understand," X replied.

"Your mission is to retire this Maverick as soon as possible, and to make sure no innocents are harmed. Understood?" Signas asked, his voice dignified as ever.

X and Zero both nodded in unison. However, one could clearly see that Zero's eyes shone with determination, whereas X's gaze hid a crushing sadness.

"Understood."


	3. The blue and red deaths

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 3  
"_The blue and red deaths_"  
By MEGAMANX411

Zero looked at X. His eyes were filled with determination. His brilliant green eyes really shone with a deep resolve that somehow managed to overcome any mission. Zero truly was a force to be reckoned with.

"You ready X?" he asked.

X nodded in response. His response was a little timid, however. He shook a little as he thought about the upcoming mission. Normally, such a plain assignment wouldn't warrant any worry. X, however, was more worried about what he would do himself.

"Yeah, just a little tense I suppose," he replied.

Zero rolled his eyes. He could really tell that X was far more idealistic than himself, but he would never let that get in the way of a mission. Since he had known X, he had always struggled to understand his ideals. Zero believed that the best he could do was to just take care of the mission as quickly and efficiently as possible. X, however, always protested that anyone needed to be destroyed.

"Look, I don't need you getting all soft on me pal," he teased.

X smirked. Even though Zero's methods could sometime frighten him, he was still a friend. He couldn't quite understand it though. They handled their missions so differently, and they held such different views. They were both still Maverick Hunters, and both somewhat mysterious ones at that, but their personalities were what set them apart. X was a dreamer, and idealist. Zero was more calm and collected. And he would certainly not waste any time.

"Well, time's wasting. We better get going," Zero reasoned.

X and Zero rushed to the location described by Signas. Thanks to the teleporation function that they possessed, they could easily get around to any place they wished. And because of the amazing information network they had, no place was really out of the Maverick Hunter's reach. They could find a location, and teleport there almost instantly. The main exceptions to this, however, obviously dealt with Sigma.

"This is the area?" X asked, looking at an abandoned warehouse. "He's hiding in here?"

Zero shrugged. He remained very nonchalant about the mission.

"Guess so. Point 3245-A, East Sector," he replied. "This is it."

X sighed. Zero placed a hand on his shoulder, instantly realizing what was wrong. Zero knew best of all that he had to support X, mostly because they were friends. That's just what they did for one another. Human or reploid didn't matter, friends would always be friends.

"Look X, you don't need to worry. This mission is in and out, this is a low-end Maverick," he reasoned.

"I suppose you're right," X replied.

Zero and X then proceeded into the warehouse to discover a rather common reploid (certainly not one meant for battle), mugging a human. The reploid could definitely be described as "scrawny" if anything. His armor was damaged and decrepit, so it was painfully obvious that he was a really low-end Reploid that suffered from poverty. His armor, which originally appeared to have been white, was now stained with garbage and filth. He didn't seem to have any noticeable fighting abilities, either. He was lacking protection, as well. His armor was all banged up, and his helmet was missing, which caused his filthy black hair to touch his shoulders.

The human couldn't have been a day over 30. He was a common man, with no really distinguished features. Most reploids thought humans looked alike anyway. He wore casual clothing, just a nice shirt and jeans. He was also a bit on the skinny side, with short brown hair. The Maverick had roughed him up a little, but the man didn't appear to have been seriously injured. Either way though, he was still a Maverick, meaning that he had to be dealt with.

"Put the human down, Maverick!" Zero shouted.

He pointed his saber at the Maverick, and threatened to attack. No one ever took one of Zero's threats lightly. The crimson Maverick Hunter was completely unwavering in his declaration, and kept his weapon pointed at his foe. The reploid immediately set the human down, and a look of pure fright came over his face. He began quivering uncontrollably, and he seemed to lose all his sense.

"Oh no, they sent X and Zero after me!" he shouted, backing up against the wall.

"Easy, we're not going to hurt you," X replied, stretching out a hand.

He wanted to instigate feelings of peace, but sadly, things were not going to go that way. X never intended to hurt the Maverick, he just thought he could reason with him, and get him to give up. After all, he was unarmed. Well, that's what X thought. He didn't notice any weapons on the Maverick at first.

"No way! This is a Maverick Hunter trick! You'll just kill me!" the reploid shouted, looking entirely freaked out.

Zero sneered. He would never waste time on a mission, especially not one like this. It was a really low-end task, and it presented no problems to him. There was really nothing standing in his way, and this Maverick offered no challenge whatsoever.

"Look, I don't have time to waste with a small fry like you. Just disarm and come back with us to base," Zero reasoned.

"No, get away from me!" the Maverick shouted. "You guys are the blue and red deaths!"

Now it was X's turn to look frightened. He turned to Zero, his eyes quivering. Why exactly would X and Zero be associated with death? He could not figure it out. After all, X was a very calm, gentle person. He certainly wasn't bloodthirsty. However, there was the fact of his reputation. Both X and Zero were reputed to be exceptional Maverick Hunters, meaning that most Mavericks had a definite fear of them. To them, they knew that becoming a Maverick meant encountering X and Zero, the two most feared Maverick Hunters in existence.

"The blue...and red...deaths?" he asked, his eyes becoming wide.

"Stay back!" the Maverick shouted.

Zero was becoming thoroughly annoyed by this turn of events. He didn't let the Maverick's comments get to him; he just wanted to get back. This mission should've been dealt with already.

"I'm getting tired of this..." Zero muttered. "Look, you can either come with us to base, or we can fight. It's your choice."

The supposed Maverick looked too frightened to even make a conscious decision, let alone voice it in the first place. He shook wildly, like an injured animal. There was obviously no way he could hope to fight X and Zero, so there was no escape for him.

"X, let's just take this guy by force," Zero muttered.

"But Zero!" X shouted.

Zero walked up to the Maverick, and was trying to get him in a headlock. He didn't want to kill him, he just wanted to detain him. He had no reason to retire him anyway. Besides, he knew that it was preferable to try and detain the subject first.

"Get away! Get away! He's gonna kill me!" he shouted.

Zero sneered. Once again, the Maverick was testing the limits of his patience.

"Shut up! I'm not gonna kill you, but if you don't stop screaming, I'll just have to knock you out!" he shouted.

The Maverick then began to laugh, almost in a manner that just screamed insanity. He must've clearly lost his mind, because he was in a very serious situation. He was facing X and Zero, two of the best Maverick Hunters, and he was resisting arrest. That in itself warranted him some punishment. Zero just gave the Maverick an annoyed look.

"What the hell is wrong with this guy?" Zero muttered.

The Maverick bent down, and picked up a nearby explosive weapon. He had a plan in mind, although it clearly wasn't planned out with any sort of logic.

"He's armed! Watch out X!" Zero shouted, readying his saber.

The Maverick held the weapon firmly in his hands. One would've assumed that he would've thrown the explosive, in an attempt to harm X or Zero. After all, Mavericks detested the Maverick Hunters. Still though, he knew he would be destroyed either way. If he had to go, he thought that he could try to do more psychological harm than physical.

"See you in hell!" the Maverick screamed.

Instead of the throwing the explosive at X and Zero, he brought it to his face, and detonated it. The explosion encased the Maverick's being in searing flame, and his head was shattered to tiny pieces. Most of his chest was destroyed from the blast, and his arms were completely blown apart. His entire body was thoroughly ripped apart. X stared at the Maverick's remains in a state of total shock. Instead of reasoning, he chose to kill himself.

"No!" X screamed.

Zero put his saber back and turned his back to the suicidal reploid. This mission was done; there was nothing else to do. That much he understood. So, the best course of action was to just file the report, and go onto the next assignment. Things weren't that simple for X, however.

"Nothing more here...let's report back to base," he muttered.

X, however, wasn't paying attention to Zero's command. He was kneeling down beside the "retired" Maverick. He picked up some of the remaining pieces, and yelled at them as if the Maverick were still alive.

"No! You didn't have to do that! I wasn't going to kill you, why don't you understand? Why!" he screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Zero placed a hand on X's shoulder.

"Come on, there was nothing you could have done," he comforted.

X winced his eyes in apparent pain. He couldn't just forget about that. He saw someone die right in front of him, it was terrible. The message that the Maverick screamed before his death resounded in his mind. X thought that he should've been able to reason with the Maverick, to save him. But he wasn't able to.

"No, that's not true..." he replied. "I could've saved him, I should have saved him...but I couldn't..." he muttered.

Zero was becoming a bit angry. He gritted his teeth, and began to tense.

"That's enough!" he shouted. "Look X, I don't know what's wrong, but you need to cut this out now! You didn't do anything wrong, and you tried your best to stop him! Your conscience should be clean!"

X looked down to the floor. His eyes were filled with crushing sadness. There was nothing else he could protest. His spirit was being crushed under a heavy weight, and he felt as though his throat was being choked.

"It..s-should be?" he asked. "But how...I've retired...killed...so many..." he whispered.

"Look X, from what it sounds like, the problem cannot be solved physically. In order to find guidance, you have to be willing to listen in the first place, so if you're not gonna listen to me, I can't help you. Come on, let's get back to base," he added, extending his hand.

X took it, and stood up. Slowly but surely, he finally decided to go with his friend.

"Y-yes.." he muttered.

He took a look back at the Maverick. X first mouthed a silent prayer, then shed one more tear for the deceased. He then turned back to his partner.

"Let's go..."


	4. Proof

**Search for a Soul  
**Chapter 4  
"_Proof_"  
By MEGAMANX411

X slowly walked back to base, taking the time to observe his surroundings leisurely as he made his way. For some reason, he felt like he didn't have to hurry back. He took the time to see how people interacted with one another, how reploids interacted with fellow reploids, and how reploids and humans fared together. The end result was something he'd rather not witness. He happened to stroll by some sort of religous gathering, and one human was preaching to the rest. He couldn't quite tell what exactly what relgion it was for, however. Because of X's race, he was not brought up to be accustomed to any sort of religion. After all, he was created by man, so there wasn't exactly a divine force behind his origins.

That was the funny thing with humans. They spent all their time wondering where they came from, instead of focusing on where they are going. At least, that was the mentality of many reploids. X had once tried to learn about some of their religions, but couldn't quite understand some concepts of them. For a reploid, however, it was no big issue. X didn't exactly stop to hear the preaching really, it's just that he could easily overhear it. However, X's interest was caught when he realized that the gathering was about the "Reploid Rights Movement" that was still going on. This gathering, though, was against those rights.

According to the legislation that was under consideration, the Reploid Rights Movement was supposedly going to allow for reploids to be considered on equal terms with humans. While reploids did not need equal admittance for any educational purposes, they would be able to use their equal rights to enter any jobs that they desired. Reploids still had to work, if they wanted to get money that is. However, many people still felt that reploids should remain as servants so to speak, because they were created by humans.

"My fellow humans. You must not allow these reploids to attain the rights that we have, for we were given these rights by God, and him alone. Beings without souls cannot be allowed to be held in the same regard as his creations, and even if they can think and act human does not make them human!" he shouted.

The crowd cheered, and X had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. He stopped, and stayed to witness the rest. He got an awful pain in his chest. He knew that the comments weren't aimed at him directly, but he felt as though they were. After all, there weren't any other repoids really close to the area, and X kind of stuck out. For some odd reason, he felt compelled to listen even though it was hurtful.

"How can one claim that these reploids have souls? Is it not said that only God can bestow a soul? So how can man claim to have given a soul to some machine? It is surely wishful thinking on the reploids part," the preacher continued.

"Wishful thinking..?" X muttered, clenching his fist.

Wishful thinking? How could someone possibly say that? After all, although one cannot necessarily prove that he or she has emotions, it is rather difficult to deny the existence of someone else's soul, isn't it? Why is it that it is easier to deny than to prove? People always seem to be more willing to accept negativity, and X simply couldn't fathom why these people were talking in such a manner. Why was it that reploids were instantly subjugated, from the moment of creation? Being born into slavery was not what Dr. Light intended, at least that's what X thought. Was he supposed to be just a tool? Why could he think then? What was the point?

"But...I do have a soul...Dr. Light says so," X muttered futilely.

The man continued, much to X's dismay. He wanted to go up there and argue with him, to try and get the man to see things from his point of view. He didn't know if the man would listen to him, but he just wanted to get his argument down. X believed he had to right to speak his mind. But then that raised the question...was he really entitled to his opinion anyway? If people truly believed reploid's were servants, then what was the point of free will?

"These reploids are heartless machines! They kill humans and each other, which is why we must protest them attaining rights, and we should restrict the amount of reploids there are!" he shouted.

X clenched his teeth. How could he be so ungrateful? Maverick Hunters had fought for humans valiantly, and many had given their lives. They were brave and commendable, not murderous. The Mavericks were the ones who were murderers! Sure, X disagreed with their methods, and would've preferred not to fight, but how could they simply neglect all of their efforts? X alone had made an immense effort to save humanity, and they didn't even realize it! X, perhapsa gainst his better judgement, walked towards the group.

"Excuse me, but I don't think what you're saying is fair," he began.

The man wrinkled his nose and gave X a strange look. X assumed that the man must have been middle-aged, but he didn't know the exact year. His hair was graying, and his eyes had a sort of faintess to them. His skin was slightly wrinkled and pale, and he wore all black garments. The man appeared as though he had been insulted.

"So, a soulless machine wishes to tell me what's fair?" the preacher replied.

X clenched his fists. A soulless machine? X was more than that. Hearing someone say such terrible things about him made him feel so awful that he couldn't even stand it. He just felt so angry, but he didn't know what to do. This man just had a different point of view from him, and X wanted to prove him wrong in a harmless way.

"I do have a soul!" he shouted.

"Really? Where is your proof?" the man asked.

X struggled for appropriate reasoning, but couldn't formulate a very logical answer. He couldn't quite place a reason behind having a soul. After all, wouldn't one have to define what a soul is first? Who gives a soul? Can it only be given by God? Or do you get one for yourself? What exactly does a soul do for one, anyway? X struggled, and tried to give his best reply.

"I do...because I can feel. I can be sad, I can be happy. I have emotions," he replied.

The man chuckled in response. He found X's attempt to fight back comical. After all, he was a machine. Was man equal to a toaster? Some people would never accept a machine's rights, but then again, not all machines could think and feel.

"So? What does that mean? All you are doing is imitating our emotions because of a simple processor in your brain...it's fake, not real," he replied.

X felt like someone stabbed him in the chest. The man's words stung like poison. He could feel a seething hot sensation coursing through his body. He hated those words. It gave him such pain to hear them. But he didn't know what to do. He couldn't hurt the man...could he? He didn't believe it was justified, but he just felt so angry.

"But couldn't you argue the same for you? Why is it that you claim to have a soul, yet you say that no one can bestow such knowlege and privilege besides God?" X replied.

The man gritted his teeth and pointed a hostile finger at X. After all, X wasmachine. Shouldn't man be the one to know more about religion?

"Don't you dare talk to me about religion you damned abomination!" he shouted. "You are a mindless killing machine!"

X was becoming increasingly angry. If X truly were a killing machine, he could've killed this man already. But he didn't, instead, he wanted to resolve things peacefully. X always wanted to do things peacefully, yet his acts of kindness were never once appreciated. What was the point of being nice of no one cared? The anger X felt was starting to become painful.

"Mindless?" he shouted. "Killing machine?"

X gritted his teeth, and many thoughts began to run through his mind. Thoughts of what he could do to the man, what he felt like doing. A feeling of incredible rage coursed through his veins, and he could feel the hatred oozing from his every pore, his desire to make this fool be quiet. But the fact that he had such a thought terrified him to no end. Such thoughts were like that of a Maverick. Was it truly that easy to become a Maverick? All he had to do was give in. Horrified, X shook his head.

"No.." X muttered, backing away.

X had gone completely pale from fear, and was backing away from the crowd of people. They, of course, took this as a sign of X admitting defeat to the supposed "superior" human race, and thus began to laugh at him. Many of which were people X had saved, and had forgotten about it. X took a deep breath, and turned his back to them. Some of the members even had the nerve to throw things at him, such as rocks and discarded food items. They struck the back of his armor, but X didn't care. Physical pain he could handle, and these objects were harmless.

"You see? All reploids are cowards at heart!" the preacher mocked, gesturing to the crowd to continue throwing things.

X stormed off, and several things kept running through his head. He didn't care about what they did to him anymore. He just didn't care. He didn't want to give them any more of his time. Even though X was the one being kind, they never bothered to understand him. It seemed as though his entire existence could've been ignored, and no one would care.

"Must forgive.." X muttered, talking to himself.

He was apparently trying to calm himself by thinking aloud. He did that a lot, considering his nature. X was very introverted, and almost liked sorting out his thoughts. It was almost like a ritual to him. Whenever he felt stressed, he would just think hard, and try to sort out all of his thoughts. He knew the consequences of giving into desire.

"Hatred leads to becoming Maverick..." he added.

When he finally reached Maverick Hunter HQ, Alia was a bit shocked to see him. When X entered the door, he was entirely ragged. His eyes were glassy, and he was entirely filthy. His armor was slightly dented from some rocks that were hurled at him, and there remained some residue from all that garbage. X caught sight of Alia, and immediately look away in an ashamed manner. He felt as though he wasn't fit to be in the same room as her. He didn't say a word.

"X!" she shouted. "Where have you been? You didn't report back when Zero did.." she added.

Alia gasped as she saw the condition that he was in. She only had to wonder what kind of trouble X got into when he was on his own. Judging from how sad he appeared, it looked as though what happened to him was really serious. It wasn't physically bad in any way, it just looked like his heart was suffering.

"Oh...what happened X?" she asked.

X's eyes wandered. He didn't want to tell her that a crowd of people did this to him. He didn't think that he required any special treatment at all, because he thought that would only make him feel worse. He didn't want to make a big deal of it. With a slight sigh, he tried to come up with an excuse.

"I had a bit of a mishap during the mission," he replied.

Alia sighed. She knew that was a lie. She knew that there was something going on, and that X just didn't want to say. He just looked so sad. Alia could almost feel his depression herself. It was the sort of sadness that was almost contagious. X didn't take the time to continue their converation. He decided to just tell Signas about the mission, and be done with it.

"I'll go tell Signas the results of my mission," X added, walking past her.

Alia stood completely still, and gave X a look of sympathy as he walked by.


	5. Worthless

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 5  
"_Worthless_"  
By MEGAMANX411

Mega Man X walked past Alia, leaving her in a saddened state. She gave him a sympathetic look...that was all she could really do. After all, he was covered in filth, and it was painfully obvious how miserable he was. It was almost as if his soul was being ripped from his body and being torn asunder by the vicious flames of hell. X's eyes just screamed the pain and torment he felt inside of him, yet it had no outlet. Alia looked down to the ground, and felt a bit sad herself. She was generally optimistic, although she was rather serious most of the time. She was one to get to business whenever need be, and she usually didn't have to dwell on matters like X did. However, something was different about X. Even if it was the slightest wrongdoing, it stuck with him for what seemed to be forever, and it constantly gnawed at his mind, invoking feelings of worthlessness.

She didn't think he deserved such torment at all. Who could? X had fought bravely for both reploids and humans, and was quite possibly the best Maverick Hunter they had, along with Zero. She couldn't quite comprehend it. He was just really too compassionate for a Maverick Hunter, it seemed. It wasn't that X was weak or anything, because he could fight very well. It's just that his personality didn't really seem to be one of a fighter, at least not now. Alia wasn't around when X first joined Maverick Hunter HQ, so she wasn't entirely sure what he was like back then. Based on what she had heard though, he was a lot more willing to fight for a cause back then. She had to wonder what exactly happened to make X so sad? As Alia pondered the matter, X finally reached Signas.

"Hello Signas," X began. "The mission was successful."

X's voice was strained and hoarse, but he retained his composure. Signas easily saw that something was troubling X, but decided against bringing it up. He could read X pretty well, and he understood that he didn't want to discuss the matter any further. The best thing for X at the moment was just some peace and quiet.

"Understood," Signas replied. "X, take a rest. You need it," he added.

With a quick salute, X was dismissed from Signas' presence. After that, however, his eyes drifted away, and he lowered his head slightly.

_Is it really that obvious?_ he thought.

X walked away slowly, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his time. Nothing seemed to really interest him. He didn't necessarily need to eat, sleep, or drink. He didn't require any matenaince at the moment either. There wasn't exactly anything that he felt like doing for fun either. X finally decided to kick back with a nice drink, to see if he could just relax. He walked over to the nearest vending machine. As he made his entry, Alia tapped him on the shoulder. X

"What is it Alia?" X asked, bending over to grab his drink.

X didn't look at Alia as she asked him that question. He did turn to face her, but it still didn't seem like he was actually looking at her. Alia could still see something in his eyes regardless. Alia finally decided to press the matter and get to the bottom of things.

"X, tell me. What's wrong?" Alia asked.

X played dumb. He didn't want things to get out of control, so he just thought he'd shrug it off. To him, this was something he felt that he needed to deal with alone.

"I'm fine, nothing's wrong," he replied.

Alia's eyes trailed off, conveying a general message of sadness and sympathy. It wasn't really that she was hurt by X's words, it was that she just wanted to try and help him. It really felt like she was trying to talk to a brick wall. X simply wouldn't let anyone in his feelings, so to speak.

"If you say so.." she muttered, walking away.

X thought that perhaps he offender her, so he tried to speak out to her. But once again, words failed to come. By the time he issued his apology, she was already gone.

"I-I'm sorry..." he whispered, stretching out his hand futilely once again.

X eyed the drink in his hand, and set it back down. He wasn't feeling very thirsty anymore, and just wanted to sleep. X walked down to the service bed, and sat down. He sighed lightly as he stretched out on it. As he closed his eyes, he saw an image of the Maverick he met earlier today. He remembered hearing his voice.

"See you in hell!"

X shuddered at the sound of his voice, although in his dream, the reploids' quivering voice seemed to have a demonic edge to it that horrified him even further. He witnessed the reploid's head being completely obliterated again and again in his mind, seeing every last detail of the effects of the explosive. X, in his dream, kept trying to save the reploid, but failed every time. Zero, on the other hand, merely stood with his back facing them both, arms crossed. Did he simply not care?

X began tossing on the service bed, and was seemingly unable to hurl himself out of his nightmare. After he had witnessed the Maverick killing himself over and over again, he was then brought to the image of the preacher. X kept hearing his offensive statements run through his mind, gnawing away any dignity he had, criticizing every worthwhile facet of his existence. He then imagined himself taking out his aggression on the man, which brought him mixed feelings. He felt relieved. He felt that it was kind of good to get rid of that stress, that annoyance.

However, the fact that he had such a feeling also brought him a sense of apprehension and fright. He couldn't stand to see what he thought he could do, or what he could become. X was disgusted at his dreams, and at his inability to fix the problems in his life. Dr. Light had supposedly given him unlimited potential. If that was the case, why did he feel so hindered all the time? X had wondered if it was possible that Dr. Light was incorrect, if X was a worthless, base creation. Just then, X felt a hand grab ahold of his shoulder.

"X!" the voice shouted. "Wake up!"

X bolted upwards, and rubbed his eyes. It was Zero. The crimson Maverick Hunter had a stern look on his face. It seemed as though there was something serious going on.

"Zero...what's the matter?" X asked.

Zero narrowed his eyes. He really meant business.

"There's a Maverick in HQ. He's got hostages," he replied.

X's eyes widened in disbelief. How did someone sneak in so easily? Didn't Maverick Hunter HQ have top notch security systems? What was the point if they couldn't stop intruders? X silently cursed, and got to his feet.

"Let's get moving," Zero commanded, gesturing for X to follow afterward.

X nodded, and followed Zero's lead. The red reploid stayed a bit ahead of X as they both ran down the hall. As they drew closer to their destination, Zero gave a look back at X.

"X, if we can find Alia, she may be able to give us some information about this enemy," he offered.

X nodded in confrimation. Alia! That was a good iea. She would undoutedly be able to provide excellent support.

"Yes, that's a good idea."

X and Zero went to the navigation center of Maverick Hunter HQ, where Alia would normally be found in times of distress. However, she wasn't there. It was strange. The room seemed unnaturally empty without her there. Normally, they could hear her going off about her mission reports or training tips.

"What?" Zero shouted, surveying the area. "Where is she?"

X looked around the room. There was no sign of her anywhere. X suddenly got a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"She's...gone.." he muttered.

"Is it possible she was captured?" Zero asked.

X gritted his teeth. He couldn't accept that. Alia captured? She was in Maverick Hunter HQ! How could she have possibly been kidnapped from right under their noses? It was ridiculous. A deep feeling of guilt surged through him. Surely, if he were awake at the time, he could've prevented her being kidnapped. It was his fault. If only he had paid better attention.

"No!" he shouted.

Zero shot a look back at X. Zero knew that X was obviously getting really heated over this. Being more collected, Zero tried to devise an alternative.

"Look, we don't know if she's captured. Let's find Signas, maybe he knows where she is," he replied.

X and Zero then ran off to find Signas, and found him rather quickly. It wasn't hard, he was nearby anyway. In times of crisis, Maverick Hunters were supposed to stay together. It was just too bad that things went wrong on such a casual day. The crime rates were extremely low at the time, so there wasn't much reason to keep surveillance on high alert. Signas supposed that it was only natural for things to go wrong...when had they been given a day off before?

"Signas!" Zero shouted.

Signas seemed to take a breath of relief when he saw the two famous hunters. His expression was still firm, and he showed barely any emotion. Signas was arguably the most tactically brilliant reploid at Maverick Hunter HQ, and he really kept a calm edge at all times. He truly was a born leader.

"X, Zero, good to see you here. We have an intruder in Maverick Hunter HQ," he replied.

"That much we know," Zero replied. "What are the details?" he added.

"They captured Alia, as well as a few humans."


	6. Choice

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 6  
"_Choice_"  
By MEGAMANX411

Mega Man X was struggling against intense feelings of rage, like his body was merely a cage for some primal beast. He was completely infuriated that this Maverick not only captured some humans, but was holding Alia hostage as well. He simply couldn't believe it. He had failed to make sure that Alia was safe, and now she was in jeopardy. This was all his fault. He had to save her, he had to redeem himself. He had to make sure that no more blood was on his hands. Zero placed a hand on X's shoulder.

"Don't worry X, we'll resolve this problem. We just need to stay calm and focused," he explained.

X nodded. He instantly calmed down a little. Zero's words of confidence did help, but still, all of those feelings didn't go away. Still though, he thought it was better to act. He didn't want to have to fight, but he really needed to get down there and resolve the problem.

"Yeah, you're right Zero. Signas, where is the Maverick now?"X asked.

"This will only take a minute," Signas answered.

Signas took a look at their security system, and began scanning the area with the various cameras located throughout the facility. He accessed multitudes of information and what seemed to be light speed. Various images were being brought up instantaneously, as Signas continued his rigorous search through the building. To X though, the search couldn't be fast enough. It seemed like it was taking forever.

"I found him," Signas exclaimed, gesturing for X and Zero to take a look. "He's in the medical district. X, Zero, go down there immediately, and try to figure out what this guy wants," Signas commanded.

Zero and X both nodded in unison. There was no time to waste.

"Yes, sir."

X and Zero immediately took off, and ran quickly towards the medical district, the far east portion of Maverick Hunter HQ. They didn't want to create a lot of noise, so they made sure to stay silent. The run over there seemed to take an eternity for X. He didn't know wheter or not Alia was ok. When X and Zero finally reached the area, they saw that the Maverick had the hostages tied up, and he was holding a gun in each hand. One was pointed at a group of humans, the other was pointed at Alia.

As X got a closer look,he noticed that the Maverick was actually a bit more suited for battle than he originally assumed. His solid green armor was quite solid. It didn't appear to be on par with models that Maverick Hunters were issued, but it did seem tough enough. The energy pistols that the Maverick wielded weren't the top model either.They seemed to be a medium-weight class B energy pistols, by the looks of it.Each was a one-handed weapon, and they didn't have too much kick either. Still though,eachpacked some punch. At point-blank range,one was quite deadly.

"Put the weapons down," Zero commanded.

The Maverick merely smirked and shook his head. He was wearing a helmet that obscured most of his face, but Zero could still clearly make out that smile. There appeared to be a black visor covering his eyes, as well. The helmet he wore was quite bulky, and seemed to be an excellent model. It wasn't the default helmet that came with the armor, however, so he appeared a little mismatched. In fact, the helmet was actually a deep blue color, and its make was different as well.

"We don't want anyone getting hurt, we just want to resolve this problem peacefully," X added.

"Peacefully? Then tell me why you Maverick Hunters so eagerly accept the human's orders to kill us," the Maverick replied.

X didn't know what to say back. He had his reasons for being a Maverick Hunter, still, that sort of argument was hard for him to face. Truthfully, he was still struggling with some questions of his own. He tried to formulate a reasonable answer, to try to get this Maverick to let the hostages go peacefully. Zero, however, decided to do the talking first.

"Look, we have no intention of harming you. What is it that you want?" he asked.

"What do I want?" the Maverick asked.

X saw this as a window of opportunity. If they could give the Maverick what he wanted, it was possible that this entire matter could be solved right away, without harm. He wanted to make sure that everyone was ok, and out of harm's way.

"Yes, what? We'll try to work something out," X replied.

"You should know. I want vengeance. You've killed many of my friends in what you claim to be the line of duty, so I want to see you squirm," he spat.

X was almost paralyzed from fright. He knew what this meant. That was one request that he wished he had not heart. Why was it that everyone wanted vengeance so badly? Didn't he see that it wouldn't bring anyone back? A life doesn't equal a life, no matter whose it is. X was almost too frightened to shout back.

"Please..don't...do it,"X whispered.

"Either way, I can kill the reploid girl or the humans before you take me down. It's just a simple matter of which," the Maverick mocked.

X felt like he should be the one to be harmed. Alia didn't do anything wrong, it was not her place to be in harm's way. X was the Maverick Hunter. He was the one who "retired" Mavericks. X felt as though he had failed already. Alia was just a bargaining chip to this Maverick, and that fact pained X.

"Don't hurt them! If you hate me, then do something to me, not them!" X shouted.

A sadistic smirk rose on the Maverick's face. He was clearly enjoying this reversal of power. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't last two seconds against X. In a fair fight, X was better in every way. The only one on par with X really was Zero, and that fight was still debatable. So, the leverage is really what mattered here.

"This way is much more effective for torture, don't you agree?" the Maverick responded, smiling. "What'll it be, X? The reploid girl or the humans? It's time to choose. The humans have doubted and feared reploids for long enough. It's time to prove that we are just as good as they are...no, that we are the superior race!" the Maverick shouted.

X clenched his fist. He was disgusted at the Maverick's reasoning. Because he wanted to prove he was better, he involved people that had nothing to do with his squabbles? Alia had never harmed anyone. X knew that the preacher had said some terrible things, but he could never _kill_ him. This Maverick wanted to prove that reploids are superior to humans? Well, if that's what he wanted, then we didn't he join the Reploid Rights Movement? It baffled X to no end.

"It's not your choice whether they live or die! They deserve to live, you don't have the right to take that away!" he replied.

The Maverick tightened his grip on his weapons. X tensed as he saw the Maverick's murderous intent flare. The weapon could go off at any second, and that would be that. Alia or the humans would be dead. If the Maverick really wanted to, he could've ended it. Instead, the tension kept on building. The air began to feel thick and heavy.

"Time's running out X. C hoose," he commanded.

X had no idea what to do. He could plead and plead with the Maverick, but if time ran out, everyone would die. And it would be all his fault. He couldn't simply let him kill them both, the logical choice would be to choose the side that saved more lives. But he couldn't simply let him kill Alia! X couldn't sacrifice her, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did. It was then that he truly noticed who the humans were. It was the preacher and apparently his immediate family. That preacher said some awful things at X. He could choose to let that man "get what he deserved" so to speak. Several thoughts ran through X's mind. If he spared them, would they then forgive X, and call him a hero? But how long would that last? They may go back to calling him a coward soon after. But still, they were living beings, they deserved to live. X couldn't decide what to do.

"Please..don't.." he whispered.

The Maverick grinned. He was clearly enjoying it still. The tension grew tighter and tighter. The air began to feel so thick that no one could breath easy. X frantically looked side to side. He couldn't figure out what to do. So many decisions raced through his mind. It was too difficult, it was too much! Things were happening too fast. He couldn't kill, but he couldn't risk losing anyone.

"You have to choose,"the Maverickreplied.

X thought of raising his buster and firing, but he knew that if he did, the Maverick would simply kill the hostages beforehand. X dropped to his knees, and bowed before the Maverick. He did the only thing he thought he could do: beg. He would sooner discard his pride than let someone die. If that meant begging, he didn't care.

"Don't hurt them! Just let them go!" he pleaded.

The Maverick sneered at X's attempts. X was reputed to be one of the most powerful Maverick Hunters of all time. Now he was begging at the feet of a lowly, unheard of Maverick? That certainly wasa sight to see. X, Dr. Light's greatest creation, a robot with unlimited potential...reduced to nothing.

"What a sad thing you are, X. Just think what your life would be like if you lived freely," he mocked.

X beat his fist against the ground. His attempt was futile, and he knew it. Still, he had to try and get his words out. It felt like the only thing he could do was cry out helplessly.

"Don't hurt them, I'm begging you!" he screamed.

The Maverick shot at X, intentionally missing for the sake of simply scaring him.

"I find it rather humorous that it was this easy to bring you to your kness. X, the famous Maverick Hunter. What a pitiful joke you are. I see you for what you truly are, a broken weakling. A fool who believes in impossible ideals and shattered dreams," he mocked.

"Impossible..ideals..?" X whispered.

He gritted his teeth, and his eyes began tearing. How could someone mock something that he had fought so hard for? Something that was so pure? He couldn't understand. What he did know is that if he couldn't change the Maverick's mind, someone would die. X stood up. He slowly took a step toward the Maverick. He somehow felt strangely empowered.

"What are you doing!"the Maverick shouted, recoiling a bit.

"Please...you don't need to kill anyone," X replied, taking one step closer.

"Don't take another step, I'm warning you," the Maverick replied, tightening his grip on his guns.

"I don't think you are evil enough for such a thing. No one has the right to take the life of another," X answered, taking another step.

X looked as though he were in a daze. His eyes were faint, like he had almost snapped. X's pure ideal of peace somehow managed to take form within him. It was as if he was entirely driven by his goal to the point where it literally moved him.

"I'm warning you, stay back!" the Maverick screamed.

Just then, there wasa distinct slicing sound. No one else made a sound. Everything fell silent. In that instant, everything seemed to slow down. It only amplified the shock of the situation. Suddenly, a familiar voice reappeared.

"Good thing you don't pay attention," Zero mocked.

He stood behind the Maverick, Z-Saber in hand. The Maverick slowly looked down in disbelief to his wound. He was horrified. He was in power, but in that brief moment, it was taken away from him. He looked down to see his torso slowly slide off the lower half of his body, and his cybernetic innards spilled out onto the ground. The cut was so clean that it almost appeared as if there was no slice at all. X's eyes were wide from sheer shock. Zero only sighed.

"The hostages are safe..." he muttered, putting away his weapon.

X fell to his knees once again. A wave of anguish washed over him, and he buried his face in his hands. He wasn't able to prevent death. Even though Alia was safe, and the humans were safe...someone stil died. He had failed. Zero shot him a look.

"X, what's wrong?" he asked.

X looked up at Zero, and a defeated look washed over his face. He truly felt like a failure. Even though he did his best. Even though the hostages were safe. He simply couldn't live up to the ideal he imposed upon himself. He was almost angry that Zero killed the Maverick. He still wanted to save him.

"I failed...I couldn't save him...why did you have to kill him?" he shouted.

Zero grabbed X and held him tightly. How in the world could X possibly regret completing a mission? Zero didn't understand that. Alia was safe, the humans were safe, and they were both ok. The only one who got hurt was the Maverick, but he was a Maverick. And it was the Maverick Hunter's job to stop a Maverick, at any cost. That was his job.

"I've had enough of this!" he shouted. "If I hadn't stopped him, you could've died, or he would've killed one of the hostages. Do you want that on your conscious X? This was the best way," he added.

X lowered his head. Was the only solution killing? He couldn't believe that. He believed that everything could be resolved peacefully. It had to be true, it just had to be.

"You're wrong...I...I could've stopped him..." he muttered.

"X, Zero! Do you copy!" shouted a familiar voice.

Zero brought his finger up to the comlink on his helmet. He instantly recognized who it was.

"Yeah Signas, we're here. The Maverick has been retired. The hostages are safe," he replied.

"That's good news. Anyone injured?" Signas asked.

Zero looked back at X. He shook his head a little, and returned his attention back to the comlink.

"No, not physically," he replied.

"I see..." Signas replied. "Well, send the humans home, and Alia and I will give the security systems a thorough check to make sure this doesn't happen again."


	7. Kindness

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 7  
"_Kindness_"  
By MEGAMANX411

After Signas and Alia fixed the security cameras, Alia walked back into the medical district to find X still there. A couple tears hit the ground, and X smacked the ground as hard he could with his fist. She couldn't believe that he was still there. He had been really hurt by the events that transpired there, it seemed. Alia just didn't know how to help him. She felt horrible that he was so depressed, she wanted to do something to try and help him.

"I couldn't...I failed again.."X muttered.

X then felt a hand on his shoulder. He didn't turn immediately. He was too surprised to do so. He knew it wasn't Zero. It was someone else.

"It's ok..." said the voice.

X looked up to see the face of Alia. He saw her warm smile, and he almost felt a little better because of it. He quickly wiped his face, and stood up. Truthfully, X was very glad to see that Alia was still ok. He was worried immensely about her during the hostage situation.

"I'm glad to see you're not hurt..." X replied.

"It was thanks to you and Zero," Alia responded, still smiling.

X looked down to the ground. Zero was the one to destroy the Maverick. He, on the other hand, only preached his ideal. X felt that he truly did nothing. The Maverick still died. Life was still lost. One way or the other, he felt defeated. Was a peaceful resolution really impossible?

"That's not true. I didn't do anything...I..." he whispered.

Alia knew she would need a good answer to get X to feel any better. She did her best to search for just the right words, and she responded confidently.

"X, you did the best that you could, and standing by your morals is a noble thing," she replied.

X gave her a strange look. He was simply amazed that someone finally called him noble. Most humans tended to dislike him for being a reploid, and some reploids disliked him because he was a Maverick Hunter. To him, it was really odd to get a compliment like that.

"Y-you...think so?" he asked.

Slowly but surely, a humble smile crept on X's face. It wasn't anything grand, but it was an awkward smile. It definitely showed that there was progress. Alia at least made the first step to making X feel better.

"Thank you..."X added.

That small gesture of kindness seemed to lift an incredible burden that was on his shoulders. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get rid of the feeling of sadness that came from loss of life. The smile quickly faded away as negativity flowed back in. Immediately, X's self-doubt drowned out the praise.

"That's kind of you to say..but I'm not deserving of such praise," X added.

He started walking away, but Alia tapped him on the shoulder again. He was surprised that she chose to keep hanging around him, despite how depressed he was acting. Not that he was getting angry or anything, however. He enjoyed her company, he just didn't feel that he deserved to be called noble. After all, in his own perspective, he was a murderer. But apparently, Alia didn't believe that.

"I don't agree with you," she replied.

X looked at her curiously. He never expected anyone to say anything else after his last comment, especially along the lines of disagreement. Alia looked so serious, but she still seemed happy. Not much seemed to get her down. X wondered how she managed to do it.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I think you do deserve praise. If it wasn't for you, Zero would be dead, Sigma would've taken over the world, and humanity would've been either wiped out or enslaved. You just don't realize it," she explained.

X sighed. This conflict was tearing him up inside and was making him feel quite ill. He had heard about his battles against Sigma countless times before, and truthfully, he was getting a little tired of hearing about them. He felt like he knew enough...after all, he was there. However, Alia instantly got an idea of something that might help X feel better. She had noticed that during her time at Maverick Hunter HQ, X had never once taken a day off. She saw him relax a little at work, but barely. He truly wasa very hardworking person, but she knew all that stress had to get to him sooner or later. She thought maybe she could help him unwind.

"You know, X, I think you should take some time off. Clear your head," Alia offered. "Would you like to come with me? I planned on going out anyway," she added.

X gave her a strange look. He never really did anything outside of his job. He was completely oblivious as to what Alia was referring to.

"What..are you saying?" he asked.

Alia giggled. She thought X was kind of like a child still. He was really easy to embarass, and he was really shy.

"I'm asking you if you're busy. Having some fun would do you good," she replied.

X didn't want to offend Alia, but he wasn't really feeling like going anywhere. He didn't feel like he really earned any sort of vacation. Still, he didn't want to hurt Alia's feelings. She did offer to help, which was nice. He figured the least he could do was accept her proposal.

"I...suppose so," X replied.

"Well then, let's go. Come on, follow me," Alia answered with a smile.

X humbly agreed without saying a word. Alia was apparently ready to head out already, so she just motioned for X to walk with her. When they stepped outside, X was amazed to see it was already dark. The lights lining the streets were already up as well. It was a bit chilly, but for a reploid, it didn't matter as much. X only wondered where they were going.

"It's already gotten late," he observed.

"Well, we did spend a lot of time fixing the security system. Nothing should go wrong now,"Alia replied proudly.

X looked down to the ground. He knew that the security systems were helpful, but things always went wrong. For him, at least. It seemed as though no matter how many times he saved anyone, things still went bad again. It was a vicious cycle he couldn't stop.

"But something bad will happen again. Something bad always happens.." he muttered.

X then realized that he probably offended Alia with his statement, so he immediately apologized.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," he added.

Alia sighed. She had thought she made progress by making him smile her, but it seemed as though X had some serious issues. Low self-esteem was definitely one of them, which she knew would take awhile to fix.

"I know X. That's your problem, you need confidence," she replied in a matter-of-factly manner.

Almost by instinct, X was ready to apologize again. He even bowed as he did so.

"I'm sorry.." X replied.

He then realized what he just did, so he placed a hand over his mouth. He couldn't believe that he reflexively apologized just after being told to be more confident. He felt like such an idiot. Alia,however, only giggled in response. She thought it was kind of funny that he was so polite. Unlike many other of the staff members at Maverick Hunter HQ, or anyone in general really, X was incredibly humble and polite. Alia then got the idea that maybe relaxing with a drink might be the best idea to get X to talk a little.

"Why don't we get something to drink?" she asked, pointing to a bar nearby.

X shrugged. He had no disagreements with her decision, and he didn't really have a preference one way or the other.

"That would be fine with me," he replied.

The bar appeared to be mostly for reploids, although they did make out a couple humans in there. It wasn't exceptionally packed, but it was a little on the crowded side still. The noise level was kind of high, due to all the conversation going on, but thankfully, there wasn't any fighting of any sort. It was a fairly nice place, but kind of lacked atmosphere. There were a couple smokers in there, butthey were on the other side of thebar. X and Alia made their way in, and took a seat ata tabletogether. As they sat down, Alia noticed that X looked a little uncomfortable. She decided to break the ice.

"This is a pretty nice place, I go here every once and awhile," Alia explained.

"I don't go out too much," X replied casually.

Alia could tell that fact all too well. She had noticed that X seemed to be lacking some social skills, and although he had an agreeable personality, he would benefit from having more friends. She thought that if she got him to have a good time, he might actually unwind a little himself.

"Well, let's try to have a good time then," Alia teased.

X tried to smile, but had difficulty doing so. He didn't really know what to say back, so he decided to see what he should order.He quickly scanned the menu, but was far too confused to place his order.

"I'm not really sure of what to get..." he muttered.

Alia knew she would have to take the initiave. So, she had another idea.

"I'll order something for you. It'll be a surprise then," Alia replied, getting up from the table to go to the bar.

X smirked, something he usually didn't do. He smiled and nodded in response, and decided to give it a shot. He waited at the table, and Alia returned soon after with their drinks. X reluctantly grabbed the odd drink, and inspected it. With a shrug,he took a sip.

"It's pretty tasty," he exclaimed.

Alia thought that this was the best opportunity to finally get X to talk a little about himself. If she knew a little more about him, she could help him feel better.

"It's my favorite thing here," Alia replied, smiling. "So, X, tell me. What's been troubling you?" she asked.

X set his drink down. Truthfully, he kind of expected Alia to ask him about his behavior. He didn't really prepare anything beforehand, but he had a pretty general answer in the back of his mind still.

"I just don't think what I'm doing is right...I thought I could stand it at first, but..." he whispered.

"But what you're doing is right," Alia interrupted. "You're fighting to save the innocent. What's wrong with that?" she asked.

X looked a bit agitated now. He knew that she had a point, but just wasn't the way it looked. Maverick Hunters protected humans by fighting Mavericks. The idea was simple enough. But on each mission, X felt more sad about his results than happy.

"But no matter what I do, someone dies..." he replied.

Alia knew right away what X was talking about. She had heard a lot about his previous missions, and she understood that it was hard to accept the loss of life. X seemed to take it a lot harder than others as well. Every loss got to him.

"Sometimes you cannot stop someone from dying, but the thing you need to remember is to not repeat the mistakes that lead to their demise," she explained.

X admitted that sounded likea good answer. But he just couldn't accept loss of life. After all, those people were dead, and would never return. And it was his fault. X didn't really say anything else in response. He didn't feel like discussing the matter further, and wondered if he should just tell Alia that they should call it a night. However, before he could do anything, Alia decided to change up the conversation.

"So...X, we've worked together for awhile now, but I haven't really talked to you much. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" Alia asked.

X blushed, and a forced smile appeared on his face. He rubbed the back of his head, and looked somewhat embarassed. The blush was really minor, but Alia still managed to see it a little. X saw the previous discussion coming, but he really didn't expect to get into his personal life. He didn't know what to say at all, and he was struggling to get an answer.

"Well...there's...not a lot to say, I suppose," he replied, chuckling a bit.

"Oh come on, anything?" Alia teased, smiling at him.

X shrugged. He admitted defeat, and finally decided to spill his guts.

"Well...I do like to read. I do it in my spare time," he replied.

There! Alia had hit a topic that X seemed interested in. She liked to read herself, so it was something they had in common. So it seemed as though X wasn't all work after all!

"Oh really? What are your favorite books?" Alia asked.

X's eyes trailed off, as if he expected to find an answer through that method. He was trying to sort out his ideas, but appeared to have little luck.

"Well..I suppose I don't really have one particular favorite," he muttered.

"Have you thought about writing your own story?" Alia asked.

X's eyes widened. Now that certainly wasn't a question that he was prepared for. He had contemplated writing something himself before, but he had actually never really gotten around to it. He was simply a little embarassed to ever do so, because he felt that no one would ever like to read it.

"I have...but I don't think anyone would read it, heh..." he replied, smiling.

Alia smiled once again in return. It looked as though X was making a little progress. Taking him out did seem to be a good idea. She just had to give him a little push, and it seemed as though he was gonna be ok.

"It's nice to see you smiling again. You've been so gloomy recently. So, what were you thinking of writing? I'm interested," she replied.

X looked rather suprised by her last remark. No one had really expressed an interest in hearing what he had to say. Most of the time he was in mission situations, so he couldn't exactly carry on a civilized discussion.

"Well, I've kind of wanted to write a book about my ideals," he explained, looking a bit embarassed.

Alia was actually a bit surprised that X really wanted to write a story. She admitted to being interested in it, and she thought their discussion was moving in a positive way. She decided to continue, but she first opted to take another sip of her drink.

"Don't be embarassed! That sounds really interesting X! So, what else do you like? Music, movies?" Alia asked.

X shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't exactly "up to date" on the latest things for entertainment.

"I haven't watched too many movies, but for music...I suppose anything, depending on the emotion," he replied.

That's when yet another idea struck Alia. A movie! That was a brilliant idea. It was yet another good way to pass the time, and it was something fun to do. She just had to see if X would accept her proposal.

"Say X, would you like to see a movie with me?" Alia asked.

X was a little dumbfounded by that question. Yet another thing he didn't expect.

"Why?" X replied.

Now it Alia's turn to be confused. She had never heard anyone respond "why?" to a question like that. She reasoned that it was further proof that X needed some time off.

"Why not? It'd be kind of fun," Alia teased.

X smiled again. He felt a little embarassed about asking why, but he figured it couldn't hurt.

"Well...I didn't really have any plans..." he muttered.

"Let's go then. I bet there's a movie we'd both like. Come on!" Alia replied, getting up from her seat.

Alia motioned for X to once again follow her, and with the upmost obedience, he did so. It looked as though there was some hope for X yet! It finally seemed like X was beginning to have fun. So, with that, X and Alia left the bar and headed over to their local movie theater.

They were, however, unaware of someone watching them.


	8. Loved and lost

**Search fora Soul**  
Chapter 8  
"_Loved and lost_"  
By MEGAMANX411

X and Alia left the bar, and walked towards the movie theater that Alia pointed out earlier. It appeared as though X was finally managing to have a good time after all. Alia was impressed that she even got X to leave Maverick Hunter base in the first place, and she was really glad that things were going well. She did admit that seeing him depressed all the time had started to get to her too.

"So, what movie did you want to see?" Alia asked.

X shrugged his shoulders in response. He was a very timid and agreeable person, so he usually never had very stubborn answers.

"Well, I don't see that many movies. Whatever you pick would be fine with me," he replied.

Just then, X caught sight of Zero on the other side of the street. Zero noticed them as well. The blonde reploid appeared to be alone, although knowing Zero, X believed that there was probably a crowd of reploids that would chase after him. Zero was definitely a lot more social than X was, that was for sure.

"Hey guys," Zero began, giving them both a smirk. "What brings you here?" he asked.

Alia smiled in return. She hadn't told Zero about her plan, but it looked as though he had some ideas of his own.

"Just showing X a good time. He's been down in the dumps recently," she replied.

Zero nodded in response. He knew X's behavior all too well. He was glad that Alia was managing to get X to loosen up a little, it in turn made him feel a little better. As X's best friend, Zero felt a little responsible in a way. However, he still had something that he wanted to talk to X about.

"Yeah, I know. It's good to see you having some fun X, we all know you need it. Anyway, can you talk to you in private?" he asked.

X's eyes widened. He figured if it had to be kept secret from Alia, then it was obviously something quite important.

"Me? In private? Sure, ok," he replied.

Zero motioned for X to come on over, and he then leadhim to a little secluded spot. They were amongst some bushes and other plantlife, just on some private property. They were off the sidewalks, so no one else was close. The district they were in was a safe one, anyway. They didn't expect any immediate interruptions.

"It's nice to see you and Alia having a good time," he teased.

X blushed. He instinctively lowered his gaze to the ground, and started rubbing the back of his head. X truly was the picture-perfect symbol of embarassmnet in that instant. He didn't really get a chance to reply either.

"I guess you like her, eh?" Zero added.

X smiled, but looked embarassed. He didn't reply once again, because he had no idea of what to say in response. Thankfully, Zero already had something prepared.

"Well, I guess I'll stop messing with you and get the point. I just want to tell you to be careful X," Zero muttered.

X looked a bit confused. A second ago Zero was teasing him about spending time with Alia. Now what was this all about?

"Why?" he asked. "Is there something wrong?" he added.

Zero closed his eyes, as if painful memories flooded into him. He let out a slight sigh, which was something he usually didn't do. Zero was a very focued person, and he barely let anything get to him. Truthfully, he had a lot of painful memories of his own. Somehow, he managed to go on regardless.

"Just remember that you're a top-ranked Maverick Hunter. If a Maverick were to catch sight of you with Alia, it wouldn't be good. Just...protect her," he replied. "X?" Zero asked.

"Yes, what is it?" X replied.

"Do you remember...Iris?" Zero asked, his eyes conveying a deep sadness.

X looked down to the ground. Of course he remembered Iris. After that incident, Zero was heartbroken. But amazingly enough, he managed to keep fighting. Something that X simply couldn't understand. If he were in Zero's position, he would've felt that for a much longer period of time...it probably would've stuck with him forever.

"I...loved her," Zero whispered. "She was the one. But Sigma robbed me of her because of that," he added.

X clenched his fist. Sigma robbed his best friend of his greatest love. What can you possibly say in response to that?

"So...we have to bury feelings like that...simply because of the Mavericks?" he asked.

That was ridiculous. Because of the Mavericks, people had to live in fear of reploids, and some reploids had to live in fear of humans and other reploids. And now there was a restriction on emotion? Just how much did damage did Sigma and his "revolution" plan on inflicting upon the innocent? It tore X up inside, and made him feel ill at ease.

Zero placed a hand on his shoulder. He realized that he upset X by what he said, so he wanted to make X feel better. His goal was just to warn him, not make him miserable.

"Never mind what I said...I guess I was being a bit overcautious. Just have a good time with Alia, and keep an eye out. I'll be heading back to base. If one of the top hunters is goofing off, I guess at least one should be ready for duty, eh?" he teased.

X smiled. Zero, although he could be a vicious fighter at times, still was a great friend.

"Later X," Zero added, running off.

X waved back to his friend.

"Yeah, later Zero," he replied.

X walked back and waved to Alia. She was still waiting patiently for him.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Alia gave him a strange look. He did take awhile. What could they have possibly talked about?

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"Oh, it was nothing, he just told me he's heading back to HQ," he replied.

Alia smiled. She didn't know if X was telling the full truth or not, but at any rate, she didn't want to let it ruin anything.

"Oh, I see...Zero gave you some pointers, didn't he?" she teased.

X blushed once again. It was becoming quite a habit for him.

"Well, no, it's not like that.." he protested.

Alia giggled. She found X to be a funny person to be around. He was so meek and humble, it was almost heartwarming to just be around him. As they walked, X obviously had certian nervous tendencies, and because he and Alia came across as a couple, he often thought of holding her hand. She, however, ended up taking the initiative, and grabbed ahold of X's hands before he even comtemplated doing anything. He blushed, but didn't resist. When they reached the theater, X and Alia got many perplexed stares by several of the humans there. Reploid couples were fairly common, but not nearly as common as human couples. And, the fact that X was a Maverick Hunter made things a bit more complex. Many humans thought he wasn't taking his job seriously, and was taking time to goof off.

The theater they were at was meant for both reploids and humans still, but there were more humans there than reploids. It was a rather large building, and housed a ton of different screens. Despite technology becoming more advanced, cinema was still popular. Some rooms had the older, flat screens, while some rooms actually were arranged in a circular pattern and used three-dimensional holograms. For reploids, they could simply download a movie straight into their bodies, if they wished, and watch it as they sleep. Still, theaters were sometimes fun to go to. However, before X and Alia could go inside, a human called out to them.

"Hey!" a human shouted. "Maverick Hunter!"

X turned to face the man. He looked as though he was about 30 or so. He must've been pretty young still, but then again, X couldn't be sure of his age. The man's hair was a dark brown, and his eyes were the same color. He didn't appear exceptionally strong, but he had some muscle on him. He was wearing jeans and a plain black t-shirt.

"Yes?" X asked.

"Shouldn't you be doing your job?"the manasked in reply.

X could've taken that as an insult, but instead opted to remain kind. He just decided to answer the man and leave it at that.

"There aren't any missions assigned to me as of yet," X replied, staying polite.

The man gritted his teeth. He thought X was just messing around, and giving him a hard time. He didn't believe that Maverick Hunters were supposed to have any time to themselves, after all, they were created for the sole purpose of hunting Mavericks, right?

"Oh, I get it. You're just slacking off. You don't care if the Mavericks attack at all, do you?" he replied.

X sighed. He didn't know what to say in reply to the man. He was getting so tired of arguing about fighting, it seemed like that was all he was doing. Before he could say anything though, Alia stepped in for him. She actually looked quite agitated, and her eyes flared.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Alia shouted. "X fights very hard, and is it so much to ask to simply take a break for once?" she added.

The man clenched his fist, gave Alia and X a hostile stare, and simply left. He had nothing else to say to them.

"T-thank you.." X whispered.

Alia giggled in response. It looked as though this time she did the saving! For such a legendary warrior, X sure let people push him around.

"It was nothing. People like that get on my nerves," she replied. "Well, let's not let it spoil the evening," she added.

X nodded, and followed Alia into the theater. They went into one of the older rooms, with the flat screen. It was still a very high resolution, but it was still before the age that 3D hologram film was popularized.

"So what movie is this?" X asked.

"It's a suspense movie. I love mystery movies, complex plotlines are my favorite thing," she replied.

X smiled. He hadn't really seen too many movies, but if it was something that Alia liked, then he figured he might like it too.

"That sounds interesting. I'm sure it'll be a good movie," he responded.

However, throughout the course of the movie, X found himself thinking of other things the majority of the time. He hadn't felt this good for quite some time, it was very refreshing. He remembered being a rookie at Maverick Hunter HQ, thinking that those battles would be his last. But they didn't end. The fighting continued. Back then, even though he idealized peace, he could stand the fighting. He managed to laugh and smile back then. He remembered when Zero dared him to pull a prank on Dr. Cain. He put some ink on the edge of his coffee mug, which discolored his mustache. It was hilarious, and even though X apologized afterward, he remembered that he was laughing the whole day. X wasn't always as serious as he was now. He felt as though a part of him was slowly dying, like he was wasting away because of his own sadness.

Then his thoughts drifted to Zero. He knew that Zero had loved Iris immensely, and he would've done anything for her. But Sigma, being the twisted, corrupt, vile creature that he is, forced Iris and Zero to fight, and ultimately, made Zero kill his love. Some reploids had a similar ideal to X, only with one major difference. A world just for reploids. No war, no fighting...but no humans, either. X kind of agreed with that, but he felt as though humans and reploids should be able to get along. Why was it people had to disagree on so many things? People have many different ways of thinking, which is both a good and a bad thing. If people agreed on everything, there woud be no conflict. But then there would be no free will, there would be no difference, there wouldn't be any...originality. That wasn't the kind of world X idealized. After that, X's thoughts shifted to Alia. Why was she being so nice to him? He supposed it was because they were friends. Alia had always been very kind, and somehow managed to retain a positive outlook despite all the negativity in the world. X then noticed he was staring at Alia.

"Is something wrong, X?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing, sorry," X replied.

X smiled, and then looked dreamily at Alia. He couldn't comprehend why, but he was having the time of his life...especially now that he was with her...

Elsewhere, something was being plotted against X.

"X and Alia..that is interesting," a voice hissed.

"You have done well to deliver this information to me."

"Anything to bring X to his knees," replied the other figure.


	9. Things of beauty

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 9  
"_Things of_ _beauty_"  
By MEGAMANX411

The movie soon drew to a close, and both Alia and X stood up and stretched as the lights in the theater came back on.

"Well, I rather enjoyed that," X commented, smiling.

He really enjoyed this feeling he was having, he felt things he hadn't felt for such a long time.

"I'm glad to hear you liked it," Alia replied. "So, what do we do now?" she asked.

X shrugged, and his eyes trailed off. He didn't have any ideas. Besides, Alia was the one that really did all the planning tonight, it seemed. He thought he would just leave it to her.

"Well, I'm not quite sure, to be honest," X responded.

Thankfully, Alia had an idea in mind. She always seemed to have the right ideas at the right moments.

"How about we just go for a walk?" Alia offerred.

X nodded slowly. He didn't know why, but he really liked that idea.

"Sure...I'd like that," he replied, taking her hand in his.

X and Alia left the theater, hand-in-hand. They walked leisurely in the moonlight, taking the time to enjoy each other's company and the tranquility of the quiet night. It was getting pretty late, so there weren't as many people on the sidewalks. It was a quiet night too, so there was nothing to really disturb them.

"You know," X began, his eyes affixed on the stars above, "I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

Alia smiled at him. That was just the reply she was waiting all night to hear. It seemed as though she succeeded in getting X to loosen up a little bit.

"I'm glad to hear it," she replied.

For awhile, there was the quintessential awkward silence, and both sides had many thoughts running through their respective minds. X, surprisingly, managed to stop thinking about all the death and destruction that plagued the world, and all of the things that offended him so much. He had something better to concentrate his attention on, although he couldn't forget those bad things completely, of course. Alia, on the other hand, was simply enjoying her time out with X. She knew that X was a nice person, and she rather liked his company, but she hadn't really given much thought to her own personal feelings. She reasoned that she liked X, but certain other emotions were still debatable.

"The stars are really beautiful, aren't they?" X asked, pointing up at the night sky.

Alia stopped in her tracks to see what X was referring to. The brilliant beacons of light illuminating the dark sky appeared like tiny floating crystals of such beauty that nothing could compare.

"Yes, they are..." Alia whispered, sounding amazed.

X also stopped, not just to stay in pace with Alia, but to truly admire the things of beauty around him. The silent tranquility of the night, the beautiful light of the stars, and of course, the warming presence of Alia. X could often be considered a poetic person, he enjoyed those sort of things. Of course, X didn't really fundamentally dislike or hate any one thing, although for some reason he couldn't quite comprehend, feelings of anger came easier to him now. He didn't know if it was simply him becoming more attuned to his emotions, or simply him losing control of his emotions. Back in his rookie days, X was far more laid back, and although he still didn't want to fight, he did. But now, he simply couldn't find any more reasons for fighting. However, after the night he just experienced with Alia, he debated that maybe there are things still worth fighting for.

"Alia?" X asked.

Alia looked as though she just broke out of a daydream. She turned to X, and gave him a pleasant smile.

"Yes, what is it?" she replied.

"What is it...that you think I should fight for?" X asked.

He felt kind of dumb for asking such a ridiculous question, but he felt that he had to ask it. Fortunately for him though, Alia seemed to have an answer prepared for him yet again.

"If you want my opinion X, I think you already know. Back when you became a Maverick Hunter, you said you wanted to fight to keep the world safe for reploids and humans. I think that in itself is a noble cause," she replied.

X shrugged, and tried to sort his thoughts out. He knew Alia had a valid point. He couldn't dispute that. But how does one justify killing another? No matter how you approach it, it's still murder, and therefore is still wrong. But if the intentions are pure, does it negate that? X had often wondered why it is noble to kill for a cause, yet killing in itself is a despicable thing.

"If you don't think that's good enough..." Alia whisered, "then why don't you fight for those you care for?" she asked.

"Those I care for?" X repeated.

"You know..like Zero, your friend," she replied.

Alia, of course, did not want to come off as self-centered by including herself in X's personal life. She considered herself a friend of his, but she didn't want to intrude in his personal affairs, she was more considerate.

"And you..." X whispered.

Alia's eyes widened at X's statement. X cared for her? She knew that X liked her, but this sudden burst of initiative made her feel a bit awkward. She did take the time to go out with him tonight, but she was under the assumption that they were doing so as just friends.

"You care...for me?" Alia asked.

X smiled, and fidgeted for a bit. He knew what he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her that he cared for her, he wanted to let her know how he felt. X thought of the previous times when he had failed to talk to Alia, when he failed to speak out to her. And he knew that this was the perfect chance to remedy those mistakes. He decided to follow up on his initiative, and take the next step.

"Well...of course I do," he replied.

Alia smiled, and blushed. Her eyes sparkled with joy, yet she had trouble looking X back in the eye because of it.

"That's...very kind of you to say," she whispered.

X didn't really know what to say next. He had said his piece, so he know knew that Alia had some idea of his feelings, but he hadn't really gone too in-depth. He wanted to say more, he wanted to tell her that she sparked feelings within him that he thought he had lost. But the overall feeling of nervousness prevented him from saying much else. Alia was equally nervous. She had no idea of what else to say. She had known X for a while, even if she hadn't been around since Maverick Hunter HQ was first established. And she had never really seen him so openly express such emotions. She felt as though she needed time to think about things.

"Well, it's getting rather late," Alia began. "I think we should go back now."

X nodded in response. It was a good thing too, because he had no idea of what to say. If they kept standing there, he would've really felt awkward.

"OK," he replied. "I suppose you're right."

With that, X and Alia walked back to Maverick Hunter HQ, not saying much on their way back. They occasionally glanced at each other, only to blush to and look immediately away. When they got back to base, Alia immediately stretched, and yawned.

"Well, I think I'll be getting some sleep now," she announced.

X nodded in confirmation.

"Sure, see you in the morning," he replied. "Good night."

Alia smiled back at him.

"Good night X," she replied.

X turned and walked away, and headed off on his own. He then felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Things go well?" asked the figure.

"They went ok, Zero," X replied, smiling.

X turned around to see the face of his best friend, Zero.

"Glad you had a good time. You've been way too mopey my friend," he teased.

X chuckled a bit. He did understand where Zero was coming from, after all.

"Perhaps. I still have my ideals, but it was nice to get my mind off things for awhile,"X replied.

"Well, just try to remember those things the next time you get down. I don't know if it'll help much though,"Zero muttered. "Anyway, good night X."

"Yeah, good night Zero," he replied.

With that, X walked off. He sat himself down on his bed, and looked out the window to see the familiar sight of the stars. Was Alia truly right? Did he have a noble cause? Did he simply refuse to see it? X wasn't quite sure at this point. He did feel better, but he was still haunted by the fact that he knew he was going to fight again in the future. Having friends like Alia and Zero brought him some form of relief, but he concluded that something must be done still. What were Dr. Light's intentions? Perhaps he always wanted X to experience emotions like the ones he did tonight. Perhaps he intended for him to be a defender of justice. Or maybe it was something more complex than that. X's mind raced with thoughts of his creation, his potential, his friends, and his enemies. Meanwhile, Zero was immersing himself in thought as well. He took a deep breath as he sat down on his bed. Bringing up memories of Iris certainly wasn't something he wanted to do. He tried his best to forget, yet the images always haunted him. He may not have been as tormented as X was, but he still had the recurring feeling. However, Zero could easily dismiss his mysterious past, and resolved to get over Iris. He had to, he was a Maverick Hunter.

However, Zero and X were completely different in terms of personality. While Zero could typically be hard-edged and sometimes even downright harsh, X was his soft, idealistic counterpart. He cound never understand why X relentlessly stuck to his beliefs, yet he was somewhat relieved that he did so. The main thing Zero did understand was that he would continue fighting the Mavericks, and that he had many reasons for doing so. Alia was also thinking about a great many things. However, her main issue of concern was X. She couldn't stop thinking about him. He was on her mind as of late, considering how completely miserable he appeared to be, but this was more than just plain sympathy. Alia had a strange recurring feeling within her, something that she couldn't quite describe nor explain about her emotions towards X.


	10. The unthinkable

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 10  
"_The unthinkable_"  
By MEGAMANX411

X slowly opened his eyes in the morning to be greeted by the gentle beams of sunlight coming through the windows. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes, trying to find out if this beautiful day could possibly be real. Mega Man X marveled at how he felt. He hadn't felt this way in such a long time, he had almost forgotten how joy could affect the soul. And for that matter, he wasn't plagued by the debate of wheter or not he had a soul. X smiled as he fondly remembered back to the events that transpired last night--his night with Alia. X was simply fascinated that he felt this good, that he wasn't being beaten down with sorrow. He decided to go greet Alia in the morning, and follow up on the conversation he had last night. After all, he couldn't finish what he was going to say, and surprisingly, he was feeling pretty confident.

X got to his feet, and leisurely made his way to Alia's quarters. He was really surprised how confident he felt today. Normally, he wouldn't consider even going near Alia's room without her expressed written permission first. Today though, he was just in a really good mood. He thought maybe he could treat Alia to a nice breakfast or something, or maybe they could just chat. It didn't matter, he just wanted to see her and talk to her. He knocked on the door.

"Alia?"X asked. "Good morning!"

There was no response. He waited for a little while longer. X then got a little worried and curious, and knocked on the door again. It was possible that she just left early, but still, he was getting a strange feeling. Suddenly, the good feeling he had when he woke up was starting to fade away.

"Alia? Are you in there?" he asked.

X was starting to get really worried. He debated whether or not he should go in and check. He did admit that if Alia was sound asleep, he would feel incredibly embarassed, and he wasn't so sure about going into her room without her permission. Still, he was getting worried. He wasn't sure what to do. He stood there for a moment, just wondering whether or not he should go in. He checked the lock--it was unlocked. Almost against his better judgement, X opened the door, and peered inside. No one was in there. Things weren't really messy at all, so it didn't seem like there was a struggle or anything.

"Maybe she's already up...I'll just go look for her around HQ," he reasoned.

X left Alia's room immediately. Truthfully, he felt kind of bad about going in, and he vowed to apologize once he saw Alia. He slowly walked through Maverick Hunter HQ and searched every room, but he found no trace of Alia. Not a single clue. Things were starting to get really strange. He then tracked down Signas in his office. Signas was, of course, doing some more paperwork. He was a real busybody, so he was often busy with work. Still though, X figured that he could take a second of Signas' time to just ask if he had seen Alia.

"Hey Signas...have you seen Alia?"X asked.

Signas' attention went to X, but his face was buried in some records he was holding. He didn't look up at all, but X assumed that he had his attention regardless.

"No, I haven't seen her today," Signas replied, his voice rather emotionless.

"Do you have any idea where she might be?" X asked, becoming a bit more worried.

"She didn't say anything...is there something wrong, X?" Signas asked, a hint of concern now evident in his voice.

"I can't find her anywhere..." X whispered.

"Hm..well, let's see if I can track her down," Signas replied.

Signas brought his finger up to a comlink he was wearing, and tried contacting Alia. There was no response. That was incredibly strange. Alia was one to always have some kind of communication device on her, and she always let people know where she was going. She was very smart, and made sure that everything was properly taken care of so someone could get a hold of her if they needed to. The fact that they couldn't get through to her now was very odd indeed. Signas tried to calling her again. Still, there was no response. X grew tense.

"She's not answering. It is possible she's somewhere nearby, maybe in the city, and simply isn't wearing her comlink...although that's rather improbable, considering Alia's personality..." Signas muttered.

X clenched his fist tightly, and his eyes narrowed. He had an idea of where this was going, but he chose not to believe it. He couldn't believe it. This couldn't happen now. His life was just beginning to turn around thanks to Alia. Why was it that something bad had to happen now? The feeling of fear began to creep into X's heart. It was like some kind of nameless demon strangling his happiness.

"I'm going to look for her..." he whispered, running off.

Signas wasn't entirely sure of what to say to X at this point, but he decided to let him look for Alia. While he did that, he could help by trying to track her down. But of course, he wanted to keep in mind the distinct possibility that Alia was captured. He decided to get some more support on the matter. Calling in Maverick Hunter HQ's top-ranked Maverick Hunter was now necessary.

"Zero, you there?" Signas asked.

Zero casually walked into the room. He didn't seem to know what was going on,and he certainly wasn't letting anything get to him. He appeared as calm as ever. It wasn't so much that he was cold, it was just that he was very serious.

"Alia's gone. X is looking for her, and I'm trying to track her down. I smell foul play," Signas explained.

Zero nodded, keeping his cool. He was trying to be reasonable and open to ideas.

"Have any leads on who could've captured her?"Zero asked.

Zero took the immediate assumption she was kidnapped. He generally assumed the worst, so he wouldn't be surprised or disappointed. Even so, he was still pretty angry that these Mavericks would do something like this. They would pay. Meanwhile, X was frantically searching the city streets. He ran outside as fast as he could, and he was trying to be as thorough as possible. He went everywhere he could think of going. He ran as fast as he could, and because of his abilities, that was pretty fast. He checked stores of all kinds, apartments, any place he could think of. Each place he went to, however, didn't have the person he was looking for.

"Alia! Alia! Can you hear me!"X shouted, becoming increasingly worried. "Alia! Alia! Where are you? It's me X!"

X received plenty of stares from confused citizens, some of which jeered at his apparent worry. X ran to every place he could think. He probably searched the entire city with his sensors, and by foot, he searched almost the same area. He was trying to be as thorough as possible. He simply couldn't shake the horrible fear inside of him. This just wasn't fair. His life was getting better, and Alia was the one helping him. She made him feel better, that was all. Why did she have to suffer? It wasn't fair at all! She did nothing wrong!

_I'm the Maverick Hunter! Why don'tthey just attack me directly? Why? Why is this happening?_thought X.

He had searched everywhere, and he couldn't find her. He felt so helpless. Alia, the one person to finally make him feel better, was missing, and he couldn't find her. It was tearing him up inside. He felt like some primal force was eating him away. In the midst of a crowded street, all X could think of was Alia. He simply screamed her name as loud as he could.

"Allliiaaaaa!"X screamed. "Where are you?"

X fell to his knees, and a defeated look washed over his face. This couldn't be happening. She was gone. She was just with him yesterday. It felt like they would have all the time they needed, but no, Alia was now taken away from him. A familiar but even more potent sadness came back to haunt X. He could feel his depression coming back into him. It was so overpowering, he couldn't withstand it. He finally broke down. A few tears cascaded down his cheeks, and he buried his face in his hands.

"She's gone...she's gone..."X whispered to him.

Meanwhile, many people congregated to see the famous X crying his eyes out. For an average human, seeing a reploid cry was pretty uncommon. It was downright strange. Although they technically had the ability to do so, it was definitely out of the ordinary. Reploids had a different social status than humans in some respects; reploids were generally firm and calm whereas humans were more expressive and dramatic. At least, that was kind of a social stereotype. X completely defied that through his actions. The faces of the humans didn't seem to matter to X. He couldn't see them anyway, his face was buried in his hands. He could still hear their voices though.

"Hey, it's that Maverick Hunter, X!" one human observed.

"Look at him!" another added.

"He's crying! He's actually crying!" muttered another passerby.

"Man, what a complete wuss...what sort of war machine is broken down to tears?" one mocked.

X slowly got to his feet, and sifted through the crowd of people, not saying a word. He felt so angry and heartbroken. He had saved those same people time and time again, now they mock him? He simply didn't want to give them the time of day. He didn't look at them, he didn't pay any attention to them...he just wanted to leave. Some people laughed and chuckled, but X didn't say one word to them. If they were in his way, he kept walking. X walked all the way back to Maverick Hunter HQ. It was the longest walk he had ever taken in his entire life. X soon made his way back to HQ, and he slammed his fist down on the main computer console.

"Where is she?" he shouted, a single tear streaming down his face.

Signas sighed lightly. He couldn't help X, and he knew it. The guy that normally had all the answers was unable to help for once. Zero turned to face his friend, and was shocked to see him actually crying. He didn't know what to say either. Everyone was at a loss for words. Finally, Signas decided to speak up. He didn't know if it would help at all, but he just felt like he had to say something.

"We don't know.."Signas replied.

Just then, a signal came from the main computer. They had an incoming transmission. At last, something broke the silence, although it wasn't quite what they were hoping for. In fact, it made things even worse than before. X, Zero, and Signas looked at the screen in complete shock.


	11. The idealistic fool

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 11  
"_The idealistic fool_"  
By MEGAMANX411

X blinked heavily, and stared in disbelief at the monitor. He simply couldn't believe this. Why was this happening? Why now? What was the purpose of it all? However, X started to realize who was on the screen. He knew those features. That dark armor, that nonchalant attitude...it was Dynamo. The ultra-obnoxious mercenary who worked with Sigma previously. Did he not have a heart? How could he possibly work with such an evil, sadistic villain? An intense rage stirred to life inside of X as he looked at the screen.

"Hey X, Zero...how's it hangin' guys?" Dynamo asked, using his typical arrogant tone.

X gritted his teeth angrily. He simply couldn't fathom how someone could be so downright arrogant and carefree about a matter such as this. Alia was gone. It wasn't just another person, or just some reploid...this was Alia. It wasn't some average entity that X regularly encountered, it was a dear friend. He had experienced this before with Zero, but why did they have to involve Alia? It angered X to no end.

"Dynamo...what do you want?" X asked.

"Heh...straight to the point I see. You're way to serious X, you're going to have a heart attack, you know what I mean?" Dynamo replied, obviously trying to get a rise out of X.

"Dynamo! Don't play games, there's a serious matter at hand I must attend to!" X shouted.

Despite X's seriousness, Dynamo remained calm. He was really in control of the conversation, and he was enjoying it thoroughly. He knew that he held all the cards, and that he could simply terminate the transmission and leave the Maverick Hunters in the dark. But to him, it was so much fun to see the expressions on their faces.

"I know all about it..." Dynamo muttered, smiling viciously.

It hit X like a ton of bricks. The whole reason why Dynamo contacted them was obviously because he was connected to Alia's disappearance. The anger inside of him was growing more and more. It was like some sort of hideous monster writhing in a cage.

"You know...about Alia?" X asked, his eyes becoming as wide as saucers.

"Of course I know idiot. That's the reason I contacted you. And don't bother tracing this transmission, because I'm going to give you a destination anyway," Dynamo mocked.

Zero didn't trust Dynamo for a second. He glared at the screen with an intense gaze.

"Like we should trust you. This is obviously a trap," Zero sneered, turning his back to the screen.

"Even if it is a trap, you aren't going to...let anything happen to Alia, are you?" Dynamo mocked.

Dynamo snapped his fingers, and a light came on, illuminating a group of figures behind him. A group of supposed Mavericks were crowding around someone. That someone happened to be none other than Alia. The set up was all too perfect. They managed to successfully kidnap Alia in the middle of the night, and now she was at their mercy. The angerlocked up in X's soul raged once again, with even more intensity this time. He could feel his body being wracked with rage.

"ALIA!" X screamed. "Don't you dare hurt her!"

Dynamo chuckled lightly, and merely smiled at X. He snapped his fingers again, and the lights went back off. He enjoyed being in control so much. The very feeling of it was just so invigorating! To him, there was simply no better thing. Bargaining was quite an enjoyable way to time, it seemed. Zero kept a level head at these turn of events, and remained calm. X, on the other hand, was a torrent of emotion.

"You wouldn't want anything...bad to befall her, hm?"Dynamo asked, teasing X.

Of course, X wasn't really in the mood for Dynamo's games at this point. He wanted to get Alia back, and stop this nonsense right away. He simply had to get her back. Nothing else was important now, Alia was the number one priority. He she was hurt because of him, he would never forgive himself.

"Look Dynamo, I don't know what your intentions are, but just give Alia back. Now," X commanded.

Dynamo shrugged casually. He simply didn't care about X's commands. After all, why would the one in control care?

"No can do, X my pal. You see, an associate of mine was rather interested in the idea of kidnapping Alia. In fact, he was the one who put me up to it. You dig? Anyway, he wants a little chat with you, if you catch my meaning. If you want to wuss out, you can kiss little-miss-navigator goodbye," Dynamo mocked, making a gesture that would give the implication of an execution.

"Dynamo! Give Alia back to me right now!" X screamed.

"I told you X, the only way to get her back is meet my employer's demands. That means either you meet at the location I give you, or it's no dice. You got that?" Dynamo asked.

X gritted his teeth, and slammed his fist on the computer panel. He knew he was being manipulated into fighting. He hated the fact that he had to fight, but he had no other choice. Having Alia's demise on his conscience was certainly not something he'd like to have. He closed his eyes tightly and thought deeply for a moment. What would Dr. Light wish for him to do? What was the right thing to do? What should he do?

"Fine," X spat. "Give me the coordinates."

"Good, good. And by the way, there's one more thing. Zero cannot come along. If he does, the deal is off, and Alia is history. Understand?" Dynamo asked.

X was almost glad that Zero couldn't come. He didn't want any more close friends involved in this. He wanted to end it himself, right now.

"Whatever you want. Just tell me where to meet you," X replied.

The location was displayed onscreen. It was an underground research facility that had been long abandoned, and it was apparently set in a very run down part of the city. It used to be widely used by the government, but after an accident, no one occupied it. It seemed to be the perfect place for any illegal dealings, especially because of the rather low level of surveillance. Not even the authorities were interested in wathing that area, besides, they had a lot of other problems to deal with. X quickly made a note of the location.

"Later X!" Dynamo teased, waving his hand before he cut the communication.

Zero placed a hand on X's shoulder. He knew this wasn't a good idea. X going alone? It sounded ludicrous. After all, they were a team. They needed to stick together, at least that's what they always believd before. Zero knew that there was definitely a reason why they wanted X to go it alone.

"X, you know this is a trap. I have to come with you," he offered.

X shook his head slowly. A deal was a deal, even if it was with someone like Dynamo.

"But Zero...I can't risk losing Alia. Please, just let me handle this,"X replied.

Zero knew X very well, and he knew how much he hated to fight. He knew about X's weakness, about his unwillingness to fight. If it was earlier, X might've been better off, but recently, X has been sort of out of it. He wasn't able to concentrate on fighting as well. He still had the power and the potential. Zero knew that if he really put his all into it, X could be a simply amazing fighter in any light. But he was just too...kind.

"I know how you think X. You're going to try to resolve this peacefully, and it won't work. You have to fight them. But your big heart is your weakness, and you know it..." Zero explained.

X knew all about that already. But he couldn't avoid it. He didn't want to fight, but he had to go there. He didn't know exactly what he was going to do, but he just had to go.

"That's enough!" X shouted. "I will do this...I have to do it."

Zero grabbed X tightly, and brought him face to face. He didn't want to lose a friend so easily.

"X, listen to me! Are you willing to throw your life away for those ideals? You're going to get yourself killed!" Zero shouted.

X sighed lightly, and his gaze shifted to the floor. He didn't know the right words to defend himself, but he had to at least try to explain himself to Zero. He said the only words that came to mind.

"I may get myself killed...but I'll save Alia," X replied. "And if you try to stop me Zero, I'll get by you," he added.

Zero clenched his teeth, and turned his back to X. Was he really so willing to throw his life away? Just like that, he would go off and die without a care in the world? To save one reploid, the legendary Maverick Hunter X would sacrifice himself. For a supposed "hero," that was not the most glorious ending, it seemed. Zero closed his eyes and shook his head.

"You're a fool X," Zero spat.

"I may be a fool, but I will not be a coward," X replied.

X slowly walked out of the door, and made his way to the desired location. Zero stayed behind. He didn't really know why he did. Zero could've easily defied X and tagged along, but he saw the fire in X's eyes. But he knew that if he didn't help, X could die. Zero wasn't about to let that happen. Zero, usually the one to be full of confidence, felt like he should ask for a second opinion. He turned towards Signas.

"Signas...do you think I should follow him?" Zero asked.

Signas gave Zero a solemn nod. He knew how grave the situation was. There was no way he could intend to stop them, so he figured he may as well give them good luck.

"Zero, you're the best Maverick Hunter we have. I trust your instincts, so you should too," he replied.

Zero smirked, and walked off on his own to think of the matter. X was really going it alone. Why? Zero didn't fully know. He supposedit was because X was just so naive. It was just a foolish move.

"X...damned fool..." he muttered.

Zero didn't really curse X's name, but he found it sort of funny. X was always such a lighthearted person, and even a bit of a prankster back in his early days. He remembered back to when X was the bumbling rookie, and that he always had to show X the right way to do everything. He was like a child; pure of mind, and pure of heart. Zero sighed lightly and looked towards where X was running. He knew what he had to do, as a friend and as a partner.

Meanwhile, X reached the location described to him. It was a massive warehouse, just like it appeared in the transmission. X managed to use his teleportation to get close to the relative area, and then walked on foot the rest of the way. Outside, there were storm clouds appearing. It was alreay dark, and it wasn't even that late. The sky had a deep, foreboding edge to it that seemed to warn everyone about an upcoming disaster. X didn't care though. He had to save Alia. Before he entered the building, it started to rain. X could feel the droplets of water coming down quite heavily, and heard the noises they made as they hit his armor.

X didn't even blink, he just kept moving forward. Slowly, he stepped inside the warehouse. He went towards the nearest door,and entered a dark room. X looked around. It was far too dark to see with basic optics, so he tried to scan the immediate area. However, he was given a sudden shock when the lights came on.

"Well, well, if it isn't the idealistic fool."


	12. That black heart

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 12  
"_That black heart_"  
By MEGAMANX411

Mega Man X was overcome with pure fear as he saw who stood behind Dynamo. The one figure who had been the root of his suffering, the one person who had caused him such pain--Sigma. The vile, accursed being who manipulated, schemed, killed, murdered, backstabbed, and betrayed anyone that he wanted. The one who had killed X's friends, the one who had made X fight...the one horrible person who was pure evil. X was speechless. His mouth hung open, but no words would come. He had faced Sigma many times, but every time he saw him, it was like reliving a nightmare he couldn't escape from. He could defeat Sigma, but he could never stop him for good. He kept coming back, and kept haunting X. It was so impossible, yet X could never escape the cycle.

"S-Sigma..." X whispered, his eyes becoming wide.

X's voice quivered from fear, and he began to slowly back away. Sigma! Here! How did he keep on coming back? Why wouldn't he stop? However, X realized that he needed to save Alia. If he wanted her to live, he had to remain strong. He then remembered what he came for, and stood his ground firmly. A surge of unexpected confidenced flooded into him. Perhaps it was because of Alia's advice. But for whatever reason, determination sparked to life in X. His eyes shone brightly.

"Sigma, let Alia go," X commanded. "I'm here now, she's of no further use to you," he added.

Sigma smiled viciously, and began to rub his chin. He slowly walked closer to X, and gave him an evil smirk that sent shivers running up X's spine. X hated that look. He had seen it so many times. Although Sigma had technically been in different vessels during their various encounters, he still had that similar aura about him. Just the way he smiled gave X this horrible feeling. He could almost feel Sigma's evil emanating, pulsating...like some sort of vicious plague.

"You're right. S he is of no further use to me,"Sigma replied.

X wasn't exactly liking the tone of Sigma's voice. He grew more nervous by the minute. The determination that was within him was still there, but it was being strangled by an intense fear. X wasn't one to really bargain or make threats. He wasn't able to hold his own in this exhange of words, anyway. He felt like he was at a serious loss. Still, he thought being firm would be better than giving up or showing weakness. He tried once more.

"Exactly. Let her go," X commanded.

X was trying to be firm, but his fear was evident. He was shaking. S igma kept on smiling at X, making him feel even more uneasy. That evil smile...how could anyone consider such a thing a smile in the first place? Either way, Sigma continued to pace around the room. Fear was one of his greatest weapons.

"Since she's of no use anymore...I think it'd be easier to dispose of her. You know X, I've been watching you for quite some time. I've been trying to think of a way to destroy you in the most painful manner imaginable. Now I think I've found it. As I've fought against you all these times...I've grown to hate you so immensely. I despite you with such an intensity that I want to destroy everything that you hold dear. I don't just want to crush you physically. I want to bury your very "soul" itself. I want to hear you beg. I want to hear you scream. I want to be able to taste your misery, see your depression, hear your sadness...I want you to be plunged into darkness eternal. Prepare yourself for an eternity in the Hell that I've prepared for you, " Sigma replied.

X wasn't able to respond to such a declaration. How could one devote his entire life to your undoing? X was left speechless. Sigma snapped his fingers, and a monitor was displayed behind him. Depicted on the screen was Alia, with several Mavericks around her. All of them threatened to kill her at any moment. All of the Mavericks looked rather the same. They were about a medium build, with black armor, and their faces were covered with bandages. Their faces lacked the synthetic skin that some reploids had, so they chose to cover their faces with those bandages. Dynamo was present as well. Alia was beaten and worn out. She had bruises, cuts, and marks all over her. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She was in visible pain. As she cried, another Maverick took the opportunity to give her an extra slap. The anger inside of X began to wrestle against his fear. X knew what Sigma was going to do.

"You...you can't," X whispered, his eyes becoming wide.

That familiar smile emerged on Sigma's face once again. He had waited all this time for this. He had waited in the shadows, crept around, waited for this opportunity...just to get to X's heart. He knew that using his dear friends would be one of the most effective ways to hurt him. And boy was he right. To make things all the sweeter, Sigma figured he could get a little more enjoyment by engaging his foe in a little combat.

"Then fight me!" Sigma shouted.

X did the only thing he could think of doing--fighting back. He knew he couldn't talk to this guy. Still, because of his feelings, X wasn't quite able to give it his all. He wanted to, because he wanted to rescue Alia...but it was strange. It was like he was almost unable to use his latent power because of his deep feelings of sadness that he held within him. Still, X knew that had to at least try.

"Very well...I will defeat you again, Sigma," X whispered, clenching his fist.

Without another word, the battle had begun. Sigma reached at his side for an energy saber, activated it, and rushed at X with reckless abandon. The former Maverick Hunter, in this form, looked almost like a decrepit old version of himself. A tattered robe covered his body and obscured most of his body. What did poke out was one arm, and it looked hideous--a concoction of various metals and parts. Sigma's face looked like some sort of demonic showcase as well. Those glowing red eyes, combined with his rigid facial features, made him look even more harsh. His face lacked synthetic skin, so it looked like some sort of twisted metal skeleton. He truly looked like a monster. X took a step backwards to avoid the strike, but he just barely avoided injury. X raised his buster, and shot back at Sigma. However, with the help of his saber, he easily deflected the blasts. S igma charged back at X, but this time, he vanished.

"Where'd he go?"X muttered, looking around the room.

X placed his hand on his buster-arm, and was looking around the room for any sign of Sigma. He couldn't find him anywhere. He tried using basic optics at first, but then opted to give a scan.

"Looking for me?" a voice asked.

"Sigma!" X shouted, turning around.

Before X had the chance to defend himself, Sigma ran his saber through X's torso, and then dealt a swift kick to his chest, sending him flying across the room. X was smashed against the wall, and groaned his he hit the ground. He slowly picked himself up, and was breathing heavily. The wall that X smacked against was nearly shattered, and his body wasn't faring much better. He seemed to be holding so much back that attacks were hurting him even more. But despite his pain, X wanted to continue.

"It...isn't over,"X heaved.

X gritted his teeth in an attempt to fight back the immense physical pain he was feeling, and was trying to keep his robotic innards from spilling out. X placed on hand on the spot where Sigma stabbed him, and then used the other hand to help pick himself up. X looked at Sigma with one eye half-closed. He was becoming tired. Sigma smiled his typical evil smile, and headed straight for X again. X tried to raise his buster in time to counter, but Sigma batted away X's arm, and then grabbed his head. X could feel Sigma's crushing grip tighten.

"You truly are a weakling X. You are a bothersome insect, and I will crush you beneath my heel," Sigma hissed.

Sigma threw X to the ground, and stabbed him again with his saber. X could feel the seething hot blade slice through his armor, and burn deep into his body. Some of his innards were scorched by the sword, and X could feel every bit of it. Each second of the attack felt like an eternity. Afterwards,Sigma kicked X while he was trying to stand, preventing him from getting back up. And to top it off, Sigma placed his boot on X's face, and began applying more and more pressure. The pain was so intense and unberable that X felt like screaming at the top of his lungs. Sigma bent over and got a little closer to X's face.

"Before you die, I want you to see Alia die first," Sigma mocked.

Sigma snapped his fingers again, and this time, opened a transmission between the room he was in and the next. Alia had been hurt physically, but she then saw X being beaten from the other room. Her spirit took quite a blow from seeing that. She saw how much X had been hurt for her sake. She began to cry once again. The teras streaming down her face became a painful image that burned itself into X's mind.

"X! Run away! Please! Don't die!" Alia screamed.

A nearby Maverick slapped Alia once more, gesturing for her to be quiet. That move made X even angrier, but there was nothing he could do about it. He just felt so helpess. There was nothing he could do. He was beaten. He had lost. It was all over now. And that was precisely the reason why Sigma appeared so full of joy. He enjoyed every second of this.

"Dynamo, it's time to execute the girl. Make sure it's done beautifully,"Sigma hissed.

"Roger that," Dynamo replied, smirking.

X's eyes grew wide. Execute her? Execute Alia? How could anyone do that? He couldn't allow it! It couldn't happen, it just couldn't!

"A-Alia..!" X shouted.

X's voice was extremely hoarse from all the pain he had endured, but he persevered nonetheless. He had to do something.

"No! Alia!" he screamed.

X tried to resist Sigma's crushing force, but he couldn't get back up. Sigma proved to be too strong. X reached out in an attempt to save Alia, despite it being entirely futile. He had to try, but he was simply too far away. All of the sudden, the screenwent black, and a scream was heard. Alia's scream. X went into a state of pure shock. He was completely speechless, and seemed to have lost all contact with the outside world. Alia's scream ran through his mind over and over.

"Now you see X. It is the Mavericks that you hunt down who will rule. We will lead the reploids to a golden era,"Sigma announced. "Humans are like cattle to us, this is surely the rule of nature."

X slowly picked himself off the ground, causing Sigma to back up a bit from sheer surprise. He stood back up, and his eyes were bright red, full of rage and hatred. He was consumed by one emotion, and one emotion alone. Hate. He hated Sigma, he hated the Mavericks, and he would do everything in his power to avenge Alia. The pain he felt before was virtually gone now, he only had one goal. To destroy the Mavericks. His body surged with power and anger. He had never felt so full of rage, so full of pure hatred. But this feeling gave him power, and he intended to use it. They killed a close friend of his. They beat her, they bruised her, they cut her...they made her cry and broke her spirit. And then they killed her. X could not forgive that. He had to kill them. He had to kill every one of them.

"Mavericks...your kind must face extinction..."X whispered.

Sigma apparently didn't hear X, and still thought he was the one in control. He thought he could still joke around with him. Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize how intense his emotions were.

"What was that?" Sigma mocked.

X rasised his eyes to meet Sigma's. Sigma's fierce eyes were frightening, yes, but they didn't begin to compare to X's visage. X's normally innocent face was now replaced with some sort of demonic guise. Those blood-red eyes screamed pain, they emanated hate. Sigma could feel it. For one of the few times in his own existence, he felt fear himself. This entity before him...it didn't feel like X anymore. It was a creature born form hate. X's facial features were twisted by rage. He was covered by a dark aura. And he intended to use that power against Sigma.

"Your time is coming to an end!You cannot survive, you must die, that is the rule of nature!"X screamed.

X slowly walked forward. Sigma, now becoming a bit worried, gestured for two Mavericks who stood nearby to detain X. After all, he was badly injured, it shouldn't be that hard to subdue him. But he was quite wrong. As the first Maverick came close, X first tore a hole through the first Maverick with his fist. The Maverick watched in horror as X decapitated him. He felt X's hands wrench out hisinnards. He was literally being pulled apart TheMaverick's insides were being ripped out,while X held him inplace with his other hand. While he was doing it, hesmiled. A familar smile. One that Sigma used to be wearing. He wasn't done after that, however, because he changed his hand to a buster while it was still within the body of the Maverick, and he began to fire. The Maverick's body was ripped to pieces, and his body parts were flung across the room.

The other Maverick froze in terror at the sight. Before he could go anywhere though, X turned to face him. The Maverick was paralyzed with fear. X's eyes locked with his. The Maverick tasted X's suppressed rage. It was more intense than anything he had ever felt. The Maverick turned around and tried to run. However, before he could get anywhere, X ran over and ripped off one of the Maverick's legs. His reploid blood began to spill out everywhere. X then pushed the Maverick to the ground, beat him with his own leg a couple times, then proceeded to rip off his other limbs. The Maverick was simply a bloody mess on the ground. He was missing both arms and both legs, and only had his end. X stared down at the Maverick's remaining face, and smiled once more. Then he raised his boot high, and stomped down as hard as he could. Meanwhile, Sigma was becoming more and more frightened. He backed away.

"You can't be doing this! You aren't supposed to act this way!" Sigma screamed.

X turned to face Sigma once more. Perhaps he wasn't really X anymore. Maybe it was just a demon in X's form? Whatever it was, it was powerful and angry.

"Oh, but I can. Because now I have that black heart. The heart you've always wanted me to have," X hissed.

Sigma tried to escape, but X shot at his legs, crippling Sigma before he could leave. Sigma hit the ground face first because of the lack of support, and looked back at the face of X. Now it was Sigma's turn to be frightened. How could X be so frightening? This was not the same X that he had fought before! Sigma could feel his legs write in pain, or to be more accurate, the stubs that used to be his legs.

"Now...it is about time...that I crush you beneath my heel," X added.

X slowly put his boot on Sigma's face, and began pressing down hard. Sigma's head began to feel the effects of the pressure. One side of his skull began to depress, and one eye was starting to pop out. Soon, his entire head would cave in. However, someone was not going to let this continue.

"STOP!"


	13. Ghost from the past

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 13  
"_Ghost from the past_"  
By MEGAMANX411

X slowly turned around, and took his boot off of Sigma's face. Sigma breathed a sigh of relieve as he felt the immense pressure removed from his skull.X's eyes widened when he saw who stood before him. It was impossible. There was no way that person could be standing there, it simply couldn't be real. But was it real? Was it an illusion, something triggered by X's apparent loss of sanity? Or was this truly real? Could it be...

"D-Doctor..Light.." X stammered, his eyes becoming wide.

X was completely shocked. It was Dr. Light, his creator. The one person who could tell X his purporse, the one person who knew all the answers he wanted. But how could that be? Dr. Light had only appeared to him in holograms stored in capsules before. He had never actually met his creator in person. Still, that white fluffy beard, the white hair, the lab coat...it seemed so real. X couldn't place it. He almost paid no more attention to the enemy he was about to kill. Sigma didn't move either though. He was just too shocked. One second, he was one control, the next, he was being slaughtered. Now X just stopped? What was going on?

"Hello X, " Dr. Light replied.

Dr. Light's tone was somewhat sad, for reasons X couldn't comprehend at the moment. Was it really Dr. Light though? How could X assume that it was really his voice? He didn't know, he just felt like he knew. X felt like he had to ask why his creator looked so sad.

"Dr. Light..is..is something wrong?" X asked.

"X, look at what you are doing. Look at what you have become. You weren't meant to be this way," Dr. Light replied.

X gave Dr. Light a strange look, and then slowly brought his gaze down to his hands. His hands were completely coated in the synthetic reploid blood of the two Mavericks he killed. X looked entirely horrified at the sight. He saw the two decapitated bodies, and his eyes shot open. He tried to scream, but his voice failed him. Sigma caught sight of this, and wondered what was going on. His foe was talking to thin air!

"Who are you talking to?" Sigma heaved.

Sigma was entirely beaten. He had lost his legs, and his face was crushed inwards. He was really in no position to fight, but he wasn't willing to accept defeat yet. He was just surprised, really. One minute he was being terrorized by a vicious, vengeful, unrelenting demon, and the next, he saw X talking to someone who wasn't there. X didn't pay any attention to Sigma. He was too preoccupied with what he had done. X was all too shocked. Feelings of immense sadness washed over him with an intense force. X felt like the only thing he could do is break down and cry.

"Dr. Light...I'm...I'm...a murderer...please...forgive...me..." he sobbed.

X dropped to his knees, and buried his face in his hands. The blood from his hands became smeared on his face, but X was almost too shocked to even notice. X then remembered all of the questions he wanted to ask Dr. Light, all of the things he felt he had to know. He had to ask him now, while he still had a chance. He raised his eyes to meet Dr. Light's. X's face was covered with tears and blood.

"Dr. Light! Why did you create me? What am I supposed to do?" he screamed.

"I made you...no, I didn't make you, I only gave you life," Dr. Light replied.

"What..what do you mean?" X stammered.

"I didn't make a machine to do a task, to serve a purpose. I gave life to a person, one who could do what he wanted, and could live a life of happiness and choice," Dr. Light replied.

"But why...why did you give me weapons? Why did you want me to fight?" X asked.

"I gave you the ability to stand up for what you believe in, I didn't give you the power to fight. You have the power to protect the innocent. I gave you those weapons because I thought the world might need a new champion. X, I gave you the power of live the life you wanted, and the power to protect. Goodbye, X," Dr. Light whispered.

X reached out, and tried to take the hand of his creator, but Dr. Ligh disappeared beforehand. X couldn't regain his balance. He was falling, and he couldn't stop it. His creator left.

"No..don't go.."X whispered.

X slowly closed his eyes, and blacked out. He fell forward, and was caught by a familiar ally.

"Whew...he's ok," Zero muttered.

He set X down, and sighed a breath of relief. Alia was standing next to him. She was still a little injured, but other than that, she was ok. Alia was immensely relieved to see that X was ok, though. Both she and Zero were really worried about him, and they didn't know what to do. They both witnessed X talk to himself, and then watched him collapse. Something had to be wrong with him.

"Do you think he'll be alright?"Alia asked.

Alia bent down next to X, and caressed his face gently. She planted a kiss on his forehead, and mouthed a silent prayer. She could only hope that X would wake up alright. Zero, on the other hand, remained perfectlycalm. He had full faith in his friend. Meanwhile, Sigma was still writhing on the floor. He couldn't pick himself back up. He was no threat anymore, he had nothing left, not unless he possessed another body. He could only watch his foes for the time being. What he couldn't believe is how Alia was safe, and how Zero got there.

"He'll be perfectly alright. He just had a little shock," Zero replied.

"How...how did you get here?" Sigma screamed.

Zero turned around to look back at his enemy. He just shook his head in disgust. What a sight it was. The mighty Sigma, reduced to a bloody pile on the floor. Zero couldn't help but laugh at this turn of events.

"Sigma...you fool. I followed X here," Zero replied.

"No, the girl! The girl! She's supposed to be dead!" he shouted.

"I saved her, you moron," Zero shouted.

* * *

Flashback 

"Alright X...if you don't want me to come along, I'll come anyway," Zero whispered.

Zero saw X enter the warehouse, and he cautiously entered through the back. He chose not to go through the same entrance in case there was a trap. Like with X, the rain lighted patted against Zero's armor as he crept outside the warehouse. Zero first watched X go inside, and he then opted to go in himself. The crimson hunter readied himself for anything. He choose the back entrance. As he stepped in, Zero noticed some figures standing around a reploid girl. Zero could make out one of them--Dynamo. But was that girl...Alia? It looked like it. Dynamo appeared to be ready to strike, his energy blade raised high. However, there was a loud clashing sound, and Dynamo's weapon was shattered.

"What the!" he shouted.

Zero stood there with a big smirk on his face. Zero couldn't help but enjoy this. Dynamo used to be the one with all the cards, now it seemed as though Zero had leveled the playing field a bit. Zero looked over to see Alia. She seemed a little beat up, but thankfully, nothing too serious. She was still alive, that was the important thing. Zero brought his gaze back over to Dynamo. The other Mavericks in the room were still shocked to see the legendary Zero here.

"You didn't invite me Dynamo? I'm hurt man,"Zero mocked.

Zero dashed forward, and sliced the Mavericks in half before they had a chance to fight at all. Each Maverick suffered from a similar attack, and they all fell in half in the exact same way at the same time. They stared at Zero in unison, in horror. Zero then pointed his saber at Dynamo.

"Now for you my friend," Zero teased.

Dynamo chuckled a little. The arrogant bounty hunter enjoyed a good challenge, he thought this was going to be fun. At least now he'd have something to fight against. To him, being an executioner just didn't have the drama he wanted. He wanted to see some fight in his prey.

"This makes things a bit more interesting," Dynamo replied.

Dynamo rushed at Zero with his fist, trying to slam the Maverick Hunter. Zero nimbly dodged the attack, and then brought his foot around and caught Dynamo in the abdomen. The bounty hunter went sailing backwards, but he caught himself just as he was about to hit the ground with all the grace of a cat. Zero dashed over towards Dynamo once again, but this time, the bounty hunter managed to evade Zero and kicked him in the back. Zero quickly turned around, caught Dynamo by the arm, and threw him against the wall. He then held his saber to Dynamo's face.

"You're finished," Zero spat.

Dynamo smiled. He wouldn't die here.

"A sportsman knows when he's beat. Catch you later Zero," he replied.

Dynamo teleported out of the room, leaving Zero with a very scared Alia. Zero cursed that Dynamo got away, but he then brought his attention back to Alia. If she had died there, X would never be able to recover from it. Zero bent down, and untied her.

"Alia, are you alright?" he asked.

Alia looked at her bruises and cuts. She was in some pain, but besides that, she felt like she could still walk. If she just got some time to rest, she thought she'd feel better. Auto-repair systems were already starting to kick in. She looked back at Zero.

"Yes, I'm fine, but what about X?" she asked.

"I don't know, but we're going to save him too. Come on, let's go," Zero replied.

Zero stretched out his hand, and helped Alia stand. They walked into the next room to see something they never thought could happen. X was there, but it wasn't X. It couldn't be. It was a demon. A demon with red eyes. They saw him massacre some reploids with his bare hands, and then terrorize Sigma. There was something so odd about him though. His eyes, his face, and just the feeling from him...it was all different. It wasn't right. Alia looked on at X in terror.

"Is..is that X?" Alia gasped.

Zero clenched his fist. He couldn't believe that his friend was doing this. What could've possibly driven him to this? X was such a carefree, loving person...how could this have happened? This was not the same X that Zero had become friends with.

"No...that isn't X. That's not my friend. STOP!" he screamed.

* * *

Sigma gritted his teeth, and looked back at Zero. Once again, Zero stood over him with such arrogance that it caused a sensation of pure hatred to go over him. But thanks to X's vengeance, he was crippled, and unable to fight. 

"I'll kill you all one day," Sigma heaved.

"And we'll be there to stop you that day," Zero replied.

Sigma coughed up a little of his synthetic reploid blood, and was heaving breaths. He didn't have much more time in this body. His physical body was deteriorating, and he knew it. But he would be able to return one day, and that's what he counted on. For the time being though, he had to suffer some humiliation. The innards of Sigma's current body began to spill out of his wounds. Reploid blood was pouring out everywhere. His energy was draining at a tremendous rate.

"I'll have my...revenge..."Sigma whispered.

With that, Sigma finally expired, leaving only his threats behind. His own glowing red eyes began to dim, and his voice faded away. That was the end of him for now. Thankfully, one threat was gone. Now they had to worry about the next problem.

"It's over," Zero muttered.

He stood up straight, and held X over his shoulders. Zero positioned X so that he was relatively easy to carry. He looked back at Alia.

"I'm glad. But this experience has probably scarred X deeply..." Alia whispered.

Zero sighed lightly. He knew that X was in definite pain from this experience, and that it would take a lot to help him.

"Well, it doesn't make much sense to dwell on things here. We should get back to base," Zero reasoned.


	14. Masks

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 14  
"_Masks_"  
By MEGAMANX411

Alia and Zero quickly made their way back to Maverick Hunter HQ. Before reporting to Signas, Zero took the time to put X in the medical quarters. He was still out, and hadn't even opened his eyes once since the incident. Both Alia and Zero were very worried at this point, but there wasn't much they could do. X laid calmly on the bed, his eyes were closed. He looked like he was sleeping so peacefully. Alia was holding his hand.

"I'll go repot in with Signas," Zero began. "You stay here with X."

"Right," Alia replied, nodding.

Zero walked off, and approached Signas. The commanding officer was still relatively calm. He expected positive results for the mission, and he was right in a lot of ways.

"Was the mission succesful?" Signas asked.

"Yes. We achieved our mission objective," Zero replied.

"Who was the employer?" Signas asked.

"It was Sigma. He hired Dynamo to capture Alia. I managed to sneak in and prevent them from killing Alia, while X took care of Sigma," he replied.

"And what of Dynamo?" Signas asked.

"He escaped," Zero replied.

"So where is X now? Is he doing alright?" Signas inquired.

"He's resting in the medical quarters. After the fight with Sigma, he passed out. I'm not entirely sure what's wrong," Zero muttered.

"You did well Zero. Let's just concentrate on helping X at the moment," Signas replied.

Meanwhile, X slowly opened his eyes. However, he wasn't treated to the warming presence of Alia, and apparently, wasn't in Maverick Hunter HQ at all. He saw that he was in a completely white, blank room. He slowly stood up, and looked around. Nothing. Vast amounts of nothing was all he could see.

"Where...where am I?" X asked. "What is this place?"

"You can't figure it out?" a voice asked.

X jumped at the sound of the voice. He turned around. There was no one there. He used his basic optics to look all over, and even scanned around. Still no one.

"Who's there? Where are you...and who are you?" X asked.

Suddenly, Dr. Light appeared before him again. Or someone that X assumed was Dr. Light, at least. The appearance was familiar, yet there was something off. He still had the lab coat, the white beard, everything, but still...it was something that X couldn't quite place.

"Hello X. Don't get excited, I'm not really Dr. Light," he replied.

It was just as he predicted. He wasn't really Dr. Light after all. But who was he then?

"Then...who are you?" X asked.

"I am Dr. Light, yet I am not. He is deceased. I am the embodiment of him as perserved through your memory. Your conscience, so to speak," he replied.

His conscience? Then were could he possibly be? How could he be talking to his own conscience? Things were becoming more and more strange by the second.

"You...are a part of me?" X asked.

"I am merely a reflection of a thought you have had, a thought that you consider an ideal," the figure replied.

"What is this place? Why am I here?" X asked.

"This place is blank. It has nothing, yet holds the potential of becoming far greater than it is now. Just like you X," the figure replied.

"Like me? What do you mean?" X inquired.

"X, you were created with unlimited potential. That does not mean that just your fighting ability is limitless, but everything. You can become whatever you want to be. You have the power to create, to destroy, to make friends, to lose them, to love, and to hate. You have that power," the figure replied.

"But why am I here now?" X asked.

"You are here because you have a great inner conflict," the figure answered.

"A great inner conflict? I don't understand," X muttered.

"X, you have been at war with yourself. You, like everyone else, have several personalities, or masks as some call them. They are you, and you are them, but you choose to favor one over the other," the figure replied.

X shook his head. He couldn't believe this. Here he was, having a discussion with Dr. Light...or his "conscience" it seemed. He was thoroughly discussing matters about his own psyche with himself, like the other party knew things he didn't. But wasn't this Dr. Light a part of him? How could he know things that X didn't know?

"Have I...died?Is that why I'm here...? Or have I simply...lost my mind?" X questioned, chuckling a bit.

This seemed so unreal. It was like a dream, but it was so truthful. It was inspirational, yet unrational. X had no idea what was going on. How could he predict anything that would happen? When would he wake up from this dream? Was it really a dream? X didn't know what to do. Dr. Light gestured for X to follow him.

"Come with me X. You must come to terms with yourself," the figure replied.

X followed behind the figure resembling Dr. Light. Soon enough, they came upon another X. He was huddled on the ground, visibly tearing, looking entirely distressed. The vision was strange though. It was still in the blank field, but it was kind of like an unidentified ripple of time and space. It was like a memory ripped straight out of X's mind, displayed onto thin air. X could see everything perfectly, he could see himself...this was odd.

"What is this?" X asked.

"This is the personification of your sadness X. The sadness that you felt all this time, the despair, the unhappiness, the regret, the remorse..it's all embodied here. You see what this amounts to? Such sadness is not the answer. Drowning yourself in sorrow does not uphold your ideals," the figure explained.

"So...are you saying I should get rid of this side of me?" X asked.

"No. For that is impossible. You cannot have happiness without sadness. One cannot exist without the other. What I'm trying to tell you is that you cannot let sadness envelop your soul, because you can overcome it," the figure replied. "Come, let us go."

Next, they came upon yet another X. This one was smiling, visibly having a good time. Like the previous vision, this one also was like a tear in space and time. The blank space that used to be where X stood was being filled up with the memories of his past. It was like the space was being used as a sort of outlet for memories, where they could be visually represented.

"You see X, this is an emotion that people and reploids love to experience. You have experienced this, and you do appreciate it a lot. But there are times when you have overlooked these situations because of the sadness you have felt. This is one side of you that you need to let free of your body, free of your bonds of sadness," the figure explained.

"So you're just saying for me to be happy? But it isn't that easy. I can't simply be happy, it...it's more complicated than that," X replied.

"Is it, really? You've experienced this emotion a lot in the past, and you've retained it to this day," the figure answered. "Come, to the next one."

Next was a very serious looking X X remembered this memory. It was a guise he wore everytime he had to fulfill a serious duty. X remembered it from many of his missions, when he resolved to handle something with the most intense dedication. It was an all too familiar feeling. It wasn't so much that X saw it...he could feel this memory. He could remember it vividly.

"This is the essence of duty in your life. It's a very prominent figure in your existence X. But it too is at war with your essence of sadness. Tell me X, what is your mission as a Maverick Hunter? Is it to merely hunt down Mavericks? No, it is to protect the innocent from harm. That's what your duty side wishes to do, but the lack of desire to fight, even for a just cause, restricts it so. You are denying yourself," the figure explained.

The figure resembling Dr. Light slowly turned around, and faced X. He looked rather serious. A grim feeling washed over X. Why did this figure look so grave now? What was going to happen? X almost didn't want to know.

"X, you are now about to face your final persona. You must ready yourself for this one," he explained.

X nodded slowly. He nearly regretted doing so.

"I'm ready..." he muttered.

The figure resembling Dr. Light motioned for X to step forward. The room suddenly grew dark, and there was a faint red glow. X came to what seemed to be a cage, and inside he saw the glow to two terrifying eyes. Two beacons of pure hatred. They were eyes...the eyes he wore not too long ago. This seemed very familiar, and very recent. It was something X had experienced recently, but he didn't want to. It was like a nightmare he couldn't escape.

"This...is the embodiment of anger, rage, vengeance, and negativity. The emotion you've bottled up the most, and the one that consequently craves being released the most," the figure explained.

X slowly approached the cage. The other X inside, the vengeful X, walked forward to apparently greet the real X. It was like standing in front of an evil, twisted mirror. X saw himself, twisted by rage, warped by hate. He saw what his face looked like if he was overcome with hate. This was the person that X detested becoming. A monster.

"Hello there," vengeful X hissed.

"You...are a part of me?" X asked.

"Of course I am," vengeful X replied.

"But...you...can't be...you're the monster...that Dr. Light warned me of," X muttered.

"X, how many times have you thought of doing something that you simply didn't do because it interfered with those ideals of yours? How many times have you wanted to silence an arrogant human? How many times have you wanted to not only detain a Maverick, but kill him? How many times have you considered just releasing your anger? You've bottled up every negative emotion you've felt, and I am the result. I am trapped in this cage, because you've trapped me here. But answer me this X, what did you feel when you released me last? I know how you felt. I should, after all. I am you. And you are me. We are one in the same. You felt relieved. You felt content. You finally expelled your rage. You didn't care that you massacred those Mavericks. In fact, you were glad. As was I. Of course I was. That's what I am. The personification of your rage. Do you realize how much anger you've suppressed in your lifetime X? Do you realize-" vengeful X mocked.

X was becoming angry himself. He didn't want to hear any more of this.

"Shut up!" X shouted.

"My, my, did I strike a nerve?" vengeful X mocked.

He slowly drew his face closer to the real X's, being hindered only by the boundaries of the cave. He had an evil, sadistic grin on his face, accompanied with those horrific, demonic eyes. X felt uneasy looking at him.

"I did not feel that way. I felt horrible for what I did," X replied.

"Is that so? So you're not happy you saved Alia?" vengeful X mocked.

"That's not it! I mean, I was happy to have saved her, but I didn't mean for...I didn't want to kill the Mavericks!" X shouted.

"But that's the only way you could've stopped them. Weren't you at least glad that you tortured Sigma the same way he tortured you?" vengeful X hissed.

X knew that torturing Sigma would have been just retribution for his crimes. But he wouldn't give in to his demonic version of himself.

"No. That is wrong. I am not a monster!" X shouted.

"You refuse to fight, yet you do at times, and when you do, you are as terrifying as a demon. I say you are a monster," vengeful X mocked.

"No! I...can fight! I will fight to protect Alia, Zero, and the innocent. I will not fight for pleasure or petty things like vengeance!" X replied.

"You say you can fight? X, you've clung to your ideals so long, you won't be able to keep this up. You wil have to let me out some time or another," vengeful X hissed.

X smirked. He didn't get it before, but he understood now. He understood what he needed to do. He had to accept the nobility of his cause. He had to weigh the importance of his friends and his mission, and dictate as to whether or not it was right. He had to decide if he could fight. He know understood the depth of Dr. Light's wisdom. X wasn't created to fight. He was given life, he was given the ability to live his life, and choose what he wanted to do. And he could stand firm in the decisions he made, and protect the things he loved with the power Dr. Light bestowed upon him.

"You just want out of your cage. But I will not let you out," X replied.

The vengeful X started slamming on the bars.

"Let me out! I want to get out of here! Let me out now! X, you know you want to release me. Think of the unbridled relief you'll feel when I vanquish your enemies...now let me out of here...NOW!" he screamed.

"And what assurance do I have that you won't hurt my friends? Meaningless fighting is not the answer to any problem. If I am to fight, then I will fight when need be. I won't submit to you," X replied, standing firm.

"I will always be there X...waiting. I can wait. I can always wait. I've been waiting for a long time, and I will never go away," vengeful X hissed.

"Then you should expect to wait forever," X mocked.

The figure resembling Dr. Light approached X, and patted him on the shoulder. It felt warm. Even if it was an imitation, this Dr. Light gave X a comforting feeling.

"I see you understand now. Or more accurately, we understand now," he began.

"There's one thing I don't get though. If I didn't understand, how come you did? Aren't you a part of me?" X asked.

"You have known the answers all along. You simply refused to see them. Eventually, your mind began to run several different through processes at once for each personality, until it led to this. Your mind needed to sort itself out. You are the dominant X, because you are X. You are the unlimited potential, you shape up what X amounts to," the figure replied.

"I see...I am one with all of you. But I am in control," X replied.

"That's right. Now X. What is it that you fight for?" the figure asked.

"I fight...to protect my friends and the innocent! I fight...for everlasting peace!" X shouted.

Slowly, X opened his eyes. He was greeted by the warming presence of Alia. A smile appeared on his face.

"He's waking up!"


	15. Realization

**Search fora Soul**  
Chapter 15  
"_Realization_"  
By MEGAMANX411

Mega Man X slowly opened his eyes, and was greeted by the morning light that came in through the nearby window. He could feel his body being caressed by the gentle light, and a smile slowly appeared on his face. He struggled to sit up, and was given the immense pleasure of seeing Alia by his bedside. She was visibly happy to see him, to the point where she looked like she would erupt into tears at any moment. Of course, knowing Alia, seeing her erupt in tears of joy meant it was something very serious. Alia tended to take business rather seriously, and not too many people had seen her so openly express emotion. However, one could argue that she never really attached to anyone that much, save for X in this case. She had a very big smile on her face as she saw X sit up.

Both X's and Alia's eyes glanced down to see that they were each holding their hands tightly, but they didn't let go. X and Alia merely looked back up into each other's eyes, and just waited a moment to discover whether or not this moment was truly real. X felt phenomenal. For the first time in a long time, he actually felt complete. He felt like the missing pieces had been returned to him. He felt as though the thing he had lost had finally been reclaimed, and his place in the world had been realized. What is a soul? Is it one's emotions? Is it one's free will? Is it intelligence or purpose? Is it reason or logic? Whatever the answer, X knew that he had realized the existence of his own soul. He couldn't come close to explaining how he possessed it, or why he knew, but he simply knew that he had a soul. He could feel it, and he felt it deeply.

"Alia..." X whispered.

"X, you're ok!" Alia shouted.

Alia quickly leaned over and embraced X tightly, wrapping her arms around him. X didn't struggle, he simply let her hug him tightly. A few tears streamed down Alia's face, and it appeared as though she was struggling for words. For Alia, the normally incredibly intelligent and talkative person, that certainly was not the norm. X hugged her in return, something that no one would've expected. They both closed their eyes as they held each other.

"I thought...I had lost you," she whispered.

"And I thought I lost you," X replied, holding her equally tight.

Alia and X then pulled away from each other, and Alia wiped the tears from her eyes. X knew now was the time to finally be true to his feelings. He had learned his lesson. He would tell others how he felt, he would finally be able to express himself. There was something he wanted to say, something he needed to say. And Alia had to hear it.

"Alia, there's something I need to talk to you about," X muttered.

"What is it, X?" Alia asked.

"I have to tell you...about how I feel," X replied.

Alia was both surprised at what X said, and eager to hear more. After all, X had never really expressed himself so outwardly, and if he was doing so for Alia, it had to mean something. Alia didn't say a word. She was overcome with curiousity, and was almost too shocked to speak. X was finaly opening up to her! X continued slowly, taking his time. Each moment seemed to take an eternity.

"Alia, I've realized something. Something very special," X added.

Alia's curiousity picked up at the mention of "something special." X had kept a very serious yet somehow still very happy composure as he talked. He remained very focused. He obviously had this on his mind, but he simply couldn't get it out. Now, he was finally able to do so. Alia was feeling more and more anxious each passing moment.

"What do you mean?" Alia asked.

"A little while ago, I almost became a monster. I almost became what I had detested the most. But I didn't. I searched within myself, and I found the answers I wanted," X replied.

Alia knew partially what X was talking about, but she didn't fully comprehend his entire meaning. She didn't really know how to respond, and she was so fascinated by X that she couldn't avert her attetion elsewhere. She focused intently on X, and didn't look away.

"Answers? I don't understand," Alia responded.

"I have often questioned the reason why I fight. I hate to fight, but I desire peace. This is my dillema," X stated.

It was a very obvious statement coming from X. Alia had been aware of this for quite some time. But he had to mean something more. She remained silent, and hoped he would continue. Luckily for her, he did.

"I searched within myself. And I discovered something. I wasn't a mere machine that was created for a task. I'm a person with choice. I can do what I wish. I wasn't given weapons to be a warrior, I was given weapons so I could protect those I love," X added.

The world "love" resonated in Alia's mind. What was X getting at? He couldn't mean that he loved her...could he? Was it possible that X was finally opening up to someone, and to her? Alia didn't know what to say.

"I've realized I have to come to terms with my emotions, and express myself. I've realized Alia, that I have feelings I simply couldn't express before," X whispered.

Alia could tell where this was going, but the wait for the next stream of words from X seemed like an eternity. She was so stunned that she simply couldn't speak up. She had to hear what X had to say, she had to know what he felt. She wanted to hear the next words that would come from his mouth. She could hardly wait to hear them.

"Alia...you've given me something that no one else has. I've felt things that I never have before, but I think it was Dr. Light's intention for me to feel this way at one point or another. When I'm around you, everything seems better than it is. Everything seems to focused on you, and I can't pull my eyes away...I..." X whispered.

X almost couldn't force the next few words out. He had waited a long time to say this, and finally blurting it out took a lot of effort. He knew he had to say it at one point or another, he had to do this. He knew how he felt, and if he bottled up his emotions, he knew what the end result would be. He had to say this. He waited too long. Finally, Alia would know the truth.

"I love you."

Those were the three words that X had been longing to say, and that Alia had been longing to hear. These fated words seemed to make the world stop, and everything was focused on X and Alia. Nothing else seemed to matter on the moment. All X could do was stare into the eyes of the girl he had admitted he loved, and all Alia could do at this point was gaze into X's beautiful eyes. She couldn't believe what he just said. Something she herself wanted to hear, but she was still so amazed to hear it.

"X...I..." she whispered.

Even though Alia didn't have the emotional problems and traumas X had, she had a rather difficult time expressing herself on this matter as well. When she had met X, she admitted she liked him, and she liked being around him. But did she feel something more than that? She knew she did, but just saying it seemed so impossibly difficult. Finally, it was time for X to know what Alia had to say in return.

"I...love you too," she replied, blushing immensely.

X and Alia finally exchanged the words they had both wanted to say for a long time now. They may not have realized that they wanted to say them at first, but the desire to realize their emotion was infinitely deep. X felt a renewed sense of purpose and dedication, like he was once again empowered. He was connected to his emotions now, not bound by them. And he had Alia partially to thank for that. Of course he knew he would always be indebted to Zero, his best friend and companion. Alia, on the other hand, realized that she had indeed become a part of X's life now. She wasn't just the navigator that helped X on missions, but a dear and personal friend.

X and Alia slowly both stood up, and they were still holding hands. They brought themselves closer to one another, and once again embraced each other firmly. This time, however, X slowly brought his face closer to Alia's...they got closer, and closer. They went slowly, and were a little hesitant. They were clearly caught up in the moment, and desired something of each other. Finally, after a little time, they engaged in a romantic moment that they both desired. A kiss. For reploids, that held an especially big meaning. It was far more rare to see reploids kiss, and the fact that Alia and X finally did so...it was the most romantic thing they could've hoped for. X and Alia met in their long awaited kiss. Once again, none of the negativity in the world seemed to matter, and it seemed as though all problems could be resolved. X had a new found understanding of himself, his ideals, and his purpose, and he had never felt better. Of course, the majority of his attention was affixed at the current moment, his romantic moment with Alia. X and Alia slowly pulled apart, and they looked into each other's eyes again.

"Alia...I know that if others find out about how I feel, they may come after you again. Are you willing to accept that risk? Because I simply don't think I could put your life in danger," X whispered.

"X, you have learned to cope with your emotions already. You should do what you feel is right. But no matter what you decide, I will always love you," she replied.

X knew that he simply couldn't suppress his feelings again once he released them. If he tried to hide his love for Alia for the sake of protecting her, he would fail. He simply loved her, and he had no way to hide that fact. Every ounce of his being absolutely adored her.

"I can't bury how I feel. So I will always be there to protect you," X replied.

There was almost nothing Alia could reply with. After bottling up these feelings so long, expressing them finally felt a bit strange. Both X and Alia had said their piece, and know were almost at a complete loss of where to go next.

"I guess X has finally become a man," a figure teased.

Zero stood in the doorway, and he had apparently been there for quite some time. Both X and Alia had completely failed to noticed that he had been standing there, watching them. X and Alia both felt really embarassed. He witness that entire declaration of love, the whole thing. He saw them confess their feelings, hug, and kiss. Both X and Alia turned bright red.

"Oh Zero...I didn't know you were there..." X muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Would you have acted any different if you knew I was?" Zero asked.

"I guess not," X replied, chuckling.

Zero extended his hand towards X. X slowly took it.

"X, we have a bond. And no matter what, we will always remain friends. I'll be there for you, buddy," Zero stated.

X smiled, and returned Zero's determined gaze with his own.

"And I will always be there for you, my friend," X replied.

"Well, I suppose I'll leave you two alone for now," Zero teased. "See you later."

"Later Zero," X replied.

X turned back to Alia. He smiled warmly as he looked at her beautiful face.

"Alia, as long as I have these bonds and these ideals, I will fight. My ideal is for peace, but I also wish to protect the innocent. To do so, I will fight. I will not fight for petty reasons like vengeance or hate, but to protect those I love," X explained.

All of the sudden, the alarm sounded. It was time for action. X raced to the meeting room for briefing. He knew that Dynamo was still around, and Sigma might resurface. Or it might simply be someone else. But whatever it was, he would be ready. X glanced to his side to see his best friend and partner Zero ready for action. Zero loosely gripped his saber, and gave X a respecful nod and a thumbs-up. X returned the favor, and then brought his finger up to the comlink on his helmet. Through it he heard the beautiful voice of his love, Alia.

He had the two closest people to him by his side, and he was ready to face anything.

X knew that he would have to keep fighting, and that Sigma wasn't through yet. He knew that foes like Dynamo might show up to make trouble. He knew that some humans might discriminate against reploids, some reploids may discriminate against humans, and basically not get along. He knew of these problems. But he would work to resolve them. He would no longer break down in the face of fear, evil, and prejudice.

He would stand strong.

He knew Dr. Light's intentions, and he understood them fully. A smirk appeared on his face as he thought of what a fool he was. He had everything he could ask for all this time. He had purpose, he had friendship, and he had love. He understood that disaster and misfortune was an inevitability in this world because something cannot exist unless it has an opposite. But he knew that in order to experience one precious emotion, he would have to endure a painful one.

But he was willing to pay that price.

X once again looked to his partner Zero, and then to Alia.

"Maverick Hunters X and Zero dispatch!"

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The End! I had a lot of fun writing this story, and I seriously hope you enjoyed reading it as much I enjoyed writing it. Comments are always appreciated! 


	16. Alternate ending

Note: This is an alternate ending to my Search for a Soul fic. I had this idea in mind while I originally wrote it, although I decided to implement both ideas in the end. Keep in mind that this starts off in X's dream world. This is a far darker ending, and is the "sad" version as opposed to the orignal "happy" one. If you don't like sad endings, you probably won't like this one. Still, if you're interested, check it out.

* * *

**Search for a Soul**  
Chapter 15  
"_Alternate ending_"  
By MEGAMANX411

X smirked as he looked at the vengeful version of himself locked in the cage.

"I won't let you out there ever," X mocked.

The vengeful X was angirly slamming against his cage, shouting wildly. But then he stopped. He chuckled lightly as he looked back menacingly at X.

"What's so funny?" X asked.

Vengeful X drew his face closer to X's, and sneered.

"You're such a fool. You've bottled me up in here so long...and as a result, I've gotten powerful from your emotion. You, on the other hand, have grown weak. You fail to accept your emotions..and that will be your downfall!" vengeful X hissed.

With that, vengeful X smashed his fist against the cage, and shattered it. X looked on horrified as he saw the demonic version of himself drawing closer. He tried to fire, but the shots were useless.

"I told you X. You're too weak. You were always too weak. Now I'm claiming this body!" vengeful X shouted.

X tried to escape, but vengeful X quickly grabbed him, and started choking the life out of him.

"But I don't..ugh..understand..you need me, we're all a part of one X.." X whispered.

"I don't need you. I can control the body without you, X. And I'm going to do what you should have done a long time ago," vengeful X mocked.

A loud cracking sound was heard, and the dream was ended. X, or who everyone assumed was X, opened his eyes. Alia looked down at him sympathetically.

"X? Are you alright? X?" she asked, visibly worried.

X smirked, and sat up. He had a devilish smile on his face, and his eyes were blood red.

"X? Is there something wrong?" Alia asked.

"Where's Zero?" X asked, his voice having a very hard edge to it.

"He's in the briefing room..why?" Alia asked.

"I have some business to attend to," X hissed.

X slowly got up, and walked to the briefing room to meet Zero. His stride was surprisingly nonchalant, yet there was something about it that oozed viciousness and malcontent. Something was wrong. So, Alia decided to follow him, but she stood far back enough to not be noticed. X soon entered the room, and gave Zero a hard glare.

"Hey X, buddy. Something wrong?" Zero asked.

"You...are the first Maverick," X hissed.

Zero's expression became quite serious.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"You're the first. You must die. That's my destiny," X added.

"X..what's wrong with you? Wait a minute..you're not X! Who are you!" Zero shouted.

"I am the new X. The reborn X. The old X was weak, I am not. Time to die, Zero," X whispered.

"X, I'm not going to fight you," Zero protested.

"Good, that makes things easier," X replied, aiming his buster.

Zero was confident his friend wouldn't shoot him. He couldn't, they were best friends after all. Could he? X just smirked evilly.

"Say goodbye," he mocked.

X fired, and the blast clipped Zero's shoulder, nearly taking off his arm.

"X...what..why..!" Zero screamed, clutching his wound.

"DIE!" X screamed.

X kept on firing, but Zero decided to get serious. Alia, on the other hand, was too shocked to do anything. What had happened to the gentle, caring figure that she had known previously? What happened to the real X? She had to do something.

"X!" she shouted.

X slowly turned around and faced Alia. His face had a hard, brooding edge, and his eyes still glowed bright red with hate.

"X, this isn't you..wake up!" Alia shouted.

X turned his back to Alia, and gave his attention back to Zero. The red hunter managed to fend X off for awhile with his superior technique, but X kept coming after him. As the battle drew on, Zero became more and more fatigued, and X didn't seem to tire at all. Zero stumbled,and X was pointing his gun straight at him.

"Stop!" Alia shouted.

Alia stood in front of Zero in the hopes she would deter X from shooting.

"X, please...return to the way you where," she pleaded.

X smiled. And fired.

"Ugh...X...no..." Zero moaned.

Alia fell down and landed in Zero's arms, lifeless. X had shot her straight through the chest. Zero looked back up at X, horrified. He couldn't believe what he had done.

"X!" he screamed.

X didn't say anything. He just fired again. This time, Zero was the one who hit the ground. Both he and Alia were on the floor, devoid of any signs of life. Killed at the hands of a vengeful demon. But something inside of X just snapped, and suddenly, his eyes shifted from the hateful red to their normal color.

"What...I..no.." X stammered.

X looked on in sheer terror at what was before him. His two dear friends, dead. And he knew that he was the one who did it. He knew it was that vengeful side of him who did this.

"I..have nothing left..." X whispered.

X was truly alone. His creator was dead, his friends were dead, his ideals were dead, people hated and shunned him, reploids hated and shunned him, and soon, he would be arrested. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Everything was gone. There was nothing left.

"It's...all..gone.." X whimpered, tears streaming down his cheeks.

X slowly drew his buster up to his head, and smiled.

"I'll be with you Alia, and you too Zero..." he whispered.

X fired, and took his own life, thus ending his seemingly unending cycle of pain and torment.


End file.
